Diaries of the year 2003

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – October 1, 2003

At the Leader’s Office, there was a consultative meeting on nuclear issues. He agreed that, under certain conditions, the protocol could be signed and effectively implemented, but he opposed suspending enrichment activities, which is what the International Atomic Energy Agency and Europe, the United States, and Russia are seeking. Messrs. Rouhani, Kharrazi, and Khatami called for a temporary suspension. Dr. Rouhani was proposed to travel to Europe for negotiations, but my view is that someone should come from there and negotiations should be held in Iran.

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 30, 2003

In a meeting with the Leader; decision on the Additional Protocol and preparedness for possible problems / Syria’s First Vice President is concerned about Iraq becoming federal and the constitution being drafted based on the current situation, and is dissatisfied that Arab countries have not opposed the Governing Council

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 29, 2003

Karbasschi’s collaboration with the Great Islamic Encyclopedia and threats from unidentified individuals/ The United States called for negotiations with Iran, Europe asked Iran to accept the Additional Protocol and halt enrichment

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 28, 2003

Mohsen, the chairman of the board and CEO of the Metro Company, came and said that he had decided to resign from managing the Tehran Metro because he disagreed with the monorail plans of Mr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the new mayor.

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 27, 2003

Hossein Khomeini, the son of Aqa Mostafa who has gone to America, spoke against Iran at a meeting held by hardline conservatives and said that religious rule should not continue and that if the solution is limited to U.S. intervention, the Iranian people will accept it!

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 26, 2003

The United Nations announced that it is withdrawing its non-Iraqi personnel from Iraq due to the lack of security, which has angered the United States / The arrest of two members of the Guantanamo prison guard force in the United States has caused a stir / In Japan, two powerful earthquakes occurred within an hour, with a magnitude of 8.7 on the Richter scale ...

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 25, 2003

Mr. Khatami came to my office in Koushk. We also agreed regarding the nuclear issues that we should pursue the proposal of the three countries, Britain, France, and Germany. I advised him not to think about stepping down and to continue his work...

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 24, 2003

Chirac also asked Iran to make its nuclear issues transparent by signing the Additional Protocol, and acknowledged that the peaceful use of nuclear technology is Iran's right. At the same time, Mr. [Ali Akbar] Salehi, Iran's representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency, announced that Iran was reducing its cooperation with the Agency to the level required by the NPT.

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 23, 2003

Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General, in his opening speech condemned America's unilateralism on the global stage and the use of force without UN authorization, and described Iran as a victim of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. Bush defended the occupation of Iraq and said that it would not be possible to hand over the administration of Iraq to the Iraqi people so soon, and accused Iran of trying to build nuclear weapons....

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 22, 2003

Ayatollah Montazeri called for restoring relations with the United States/ Attacks on American forces in Baghdad, Samarra, and Baqubah, and demonstrations against the British in Basra/ The Taliban claimed to have captured four cities in Afghanistan

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 21, 2003

Some Western newspapers have written that Saddam, through intermediaries, has entered into negotiations with the Americans to surrender, go into exile in Belarus, and provide information about weapons of mass destruction.

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 20, 2003

Mr. Aghazadeh gave the report on the negotiations with ElBaradei as well as the Agency's new proposal. He has asked for an explanation regarding the origin of the enrichment machines [= centrifuges], the people who manufactured them, and the conversion into metallic uranium. I said that he should respond that cooperation would be provided within the framework of the NPT, and also pursue cooperation with the three countries, Germany, France, and Britain, based on their proposal with modifications.

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 19, 2003

At the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, another fiasco occurred, and under U.S. pressure, the Arab countries withdrew the resolution they had submitted to compel Israel to join the NPT, and instead, a watered-down statement was issued/ Edward Kennedy, the brother of a former U.S. president and the senator from Massachusetts, launched a sharp attack on Bush's warmongering policy and said that he had damaged America's reputation and undermined its credibility.

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 18, 2003

In Iraq, in several operations, a number of the occupiers have been killed and wounded, and once again the Kirkuk-to-Ceyhan oil pipeline has been blown up, and there are reports that Saddam is seriously ill...

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 17, 2003

George Bush has ordered the drafting of a plan for economic sanctions against Iran / We went to inspect the under-construction Bafq-Mashhad railway—which had been started during the Reconstruction era. We visited a station and the 2,400-meter tunnel in the Khomari Heights, near Torbat Heydarieh. The project is scheduled to become operational by the end of next year.

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 16, 2003

Today, with the attack on the railway line in Iraq during the passage of a train carrying American military personnel, a new chapter in the struggle against the occupiers began, and multiple operations were carried out against them. In the UN Security Council, the United States intervened to veto the Arab-proposed resolution on preventing the expulsion of Yasser Arafat, the President of the Palestinian Authority.

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 15, 2003

The account of Sayed Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim's children of the moments of Sayed Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim's assassination / ‘Shiite figures have no hope of continuing to live.’

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 14, 2003

The discussion of the Board of Governors' resolution against Iran is heated in domestic and foreign media. Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State, and Mohamed ElBaradei, the Director General of the Agency, have said that if Iran does not accept, the matter will go to the UN Security Council.

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 13, 2003

At the Leader's office, there was a consultative meeting to find a solution to the IAEA Board of Governors' resolution, with the same individuals as in the previous meetings. The possibility of accepting the resolution or completely rejecting it was discussed, and a middle-ground solution was chosen: to protest the resolution, cooperate within the limits of the NPT, and continue negotiations.

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 12, 2003

After several days of discussion in Vienna, it was announced tonight that the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency has approved the resolution proposed by Japan, Australia, and Canada by consensus and without a vote. Iran's representative, Mr. Ali Akbar Salehi, left the meeting in protest and, in an interview...

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 11, 2003

Israel Radio is dwelling on a statement I made yesterday at the Quranic competitions, that America deployed its forces to the region with the intention of besieging Iran, but now America itself is vulnerable and under siege by Iran.

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 10, 2003

At the request of the Assembly of Experts, we returned by metro. They were impressed by the grandeur and order of the metro. / In Vienna, at the meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, discussions regarding Iran's nuclear programs continue...

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 9, 2003

At the International Atomic Energy Agency, discussions regarding Iran continued, and Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran's representative, threatened that if unnecessary pressure was applied, the result could be counterproductive, and the Agency might be deprived of Iran's cooperation . South Africa submitted a draft resolution calling on Iran to expedite its cooperation .

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 8, 2003

In Vienna, at the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the discussion about Iran's nuclear program is heated, and the US is trying to have at least one resolution issued against Iran; although they have backed down from referring Iran's case to the UN Security Council due to the opposition of the Non-Aligned Movement. Dr. Hassan Rouhani says...

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 7, 2003

In Iraq, the Americans have accepted that the security of Najaf city be the responsibility of the Badr Corps. The primary responsibility in Karbala and Najaf has been assigned to Polish forces so that the US is not involved. At Baghdad airport, shortly before the presence of Donald Rumsfeld, the US Secretary of Defense, two missiles were fired at a military transport aircraft that was taking off, but they did not hit their target

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 6, 2003

This morning, for the opening of the Quranic competition program held throughout the IRGC Ground Forces, I left home for the IRGC Headquarters. 10,000 people participated, and 600 reached the finals. Sardar Aziz Jafari, the commander of the IRGC Ground Forces, gave a welcome speech.

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 5, 2003

In Iraq, the shrine of Hazrat Ali (AS) is still closed after the explosion. Last night, shots were fired around the shrine and explosives were discovered. Shots were fired around the shrine and a mosque in the northeast of Baghdad was also attacked. It seems that the devils are plotting Shia and Sunni war

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 4, 2003

The unsuccessful assassination of Mr. Seyed Ali Waez, Ayatollah Sistani's representative in Kazmin, with a large plan that was shot from three sides and the discovery of a number of grenades and weapons in the Kazmin shrine, shows that a large plan has been prepared to eliminate Shia scholars and can be a prelude to civil war and religious and ethnic conflicts.

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 3, 2003

In Tehran, unknown individuals fired five shots at the British Embassy building, and the embassy was temporarily closed. At the same time, the Kayhan newspaper in its editorial predicted that if foreign policy officials do not show an appropriate reaction to British insolence, the people themselves...

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 2, 2003

They reported that Mr. Khatami, the president, made a tender proposal; after the proposal in the government, as a necessity and a need to continue his work, three of which are problematic. The leadership remains opposed to the signing of the annexation protocol, and the weakness of the State Department's performance against the

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 1, 2003

An audio tape from Saddam has been broadcast on some news networks, in which he denies the involvement of his supporters in the Najaf bombing and has called on them to direct their attacks against the occupiers. / The list of the cabinet approved by the Iraqi Governing Council has been published: 13 Shiites, five Kurds, five Sunnis, one Turkmen, and one Christian.

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 31, 2003

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 30, 2003

Mr. Javier Solana, the European Union's foreign policy chief, is in Iran. He has arrogantly warned Mr. Seyyed Mohammad Khatami, the President, and Kamal Kharrazi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, about the consequences of not signing the Additional Protocol, and has stated that...

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 29, 2003

This year, during Government Week, extensive and unprecedented propaganda is being carried out by the government and the IRIB regarding development and construction, which directs public opinion toward the correctness of the "Construction Government's" path. It has become a source of surprise why, after six years, they have returned to this course. What is even more interesting is that...

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 28, 2003

The arrest of Mr. Isa Saharkhiz, former Director General of Internal Press Affairs at the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and managing director of Aftab monthly magazine, in Tehran, and the insult 

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 27, 2003

Mr. Khatami, the President, said that the Leader has stated that political and economic relations with England should be cut off due to the arrest of Hadi Soleimanpour, but his own opinion is that it is better to wait a few days. They are trying for his release; perhaps they will free him 

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 26, 2003

Justice of Tehran province has announced that two employees of the Ministry of Information have been found guilty in the case of Zahra Kazemi, an Iranian-Canadian journalist in Evin prison, and a conviction has been issued...

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 25, 2003

In front of George Bush's personal farm, a demonstration was held against the continuation of the US military presence in Iraq, and in a Newsweek opinion poll, 69% of the American people considered Iraq to be America's swamp, and the majority of people opposed Bush's re-election as the US president.

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 24, 2003

Women in Baghdad have demonstrated due to insecurity and the kidnapping of women. In the United States, several demonstrations have been held against the continued occupation of Iraq, and some polls indicate a decline in George Bush's popularity.

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 23, 2003

Mr. Yazdi reported on the Guardian Council's meeting with the leadership regarding the elections, during which, while emphasizing the need to verify qualifications, they were prohibited from extremism and were allowed to file complaints against the Ministry of Interior regarding the treatment of the Council's supervisory offices.

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 22, 2003

George Bush, who traveled to the state of Oregon in the west of America to collect donations for the election, has faced people's demonstrations against the warmongering policy of the White House.

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 21, 2003

The issue of the bombing of the UN office in Iraq is still receiving attention from the media and political circles. Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General, has criticized the US's negligence regarding security in Iraq and that office, stating that the US and the UK have failed to fulfill their duty. Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, the former UN Secretary-General, has also condemned the US. Some media outlets have even accused the US itself.

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 20,2003

Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Baqer Hakim and Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Sistani have condemned the bombing of the UN office in Baghdad. It has been announced that five Iranians have been arrested in Baghdad on charges of interfering in Iraqi affairs....

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 19, 2003

It was announced that Taha Yassin Ramadan, Saddam's first deputy, has also been arrested. Dr. Iraj Yazdanbakhsh, an Iranian physician residing in Heisenberg, Germany, said that many Iranians abroad, including Ardeshir Zahedi, the foreign minister of the Pahlavi era, are willing to help Iran in resolving global issues.

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – – August 18, 2003

A group of freed prisoners of war and officials from the Headquarters for Handling the Affairs of Freed Prisoners of War came. Mr. Abbas Ali Vakili, the head of the headquarters, gave a report. I also spoke about the patience of the freed prisoners and the fate of the oppressors, which is currently unfolding in Iraq. One of the freed prisoners criticized the conduct of Mr. Mohammad Hassan Aboutorabi, who, as the deputy of the Leader's representative, acts using the position of his late brother....

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 17, 2003

In Iraq, conflicts and demonstrations continue. Various diseases caused by uranium that was used in the war and shortages and heat have increased. The situation of orphaned children has become a disaster and authorities have warned America that people's patience is running out....

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 16, 2003

The US has officially declared the National Council of Resistance of Iran (Mojahedin-e-Khalq organization) as terrorist and illegal, frozen their accounts, and banned any assistance to them; perhaps due to the unjustifiability of the double standard policy regarding terrorists that is not accepted from the US, although it has shown leniency toward them.

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 15, 2003

Last night, in Resolution 1500, the UN Security Council welcomed the formation of the Governing Council in Iraq, but refrained from recognizing it as proposed by the United States, and also welcomed the establishment of a UN representative mission in Iraq. Only Syria abstained from voting and declared that the other members had voted under US pressure.

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 14, 2003

In Basra, in an attack on a British vehicle, two British nationals have been killed and one wounded. A new tape of Saddam [Hussein] has been broadcast, encouraging people to resist against the occupiers and calling on religious scholars to issue a fatwa of jihad. France has stated that it will veto any possible Security Council resolution regarding the lifting of sanctions against Libya.

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 13, 2003

Mohsen Hakim: Paul Bremer has no veto power, but if the Governing Council makes decisions contrary to the interests of the occupiers, it is not certain they will be implemented. The three main objectives of the council: running the country, reconstruction, and drafting a constitution. In Baghdad's Sadr City, there was severe fighting between the Americans and supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr.

In the 2003 diaries of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, we read that Abdollah Jasbi went to him several times and complained about the entry of specific items by the Ministry of Intelligence under the cover of Islamic Azad University.

Sheikh Akbar tells him that he himself will look into it! And there is no news of the result of his investigation either

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 12, 2003

Dr. Zarif mentioned examples of Western pressure on the nuclear industry and proposed the signing and temporary implementation of the Additional Protocol, even before its approval by the parliament. I said they should focus more on continuing the negotiations. Mr. Reza Amrollahi, the former head of the Atomic Energy Organization, came and said that if it is decided...

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 11, 2003

In Iraq, the heat and problems have made people desperate, and suicides have also begun among the occupying forces. The British embassy in Baghdad was attacked with a grenade. A U.S. court has arrested a British arms dealer. He is accused of selling anti-aircraft missiles to individuals who...

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 10, 2003

The continuation of the interview with Dr. Sadegh Zibakalam, Professor of Political Science at the University of Tehran, regarding the factors slowing down the Construction Crusade government's program was conducted. The situation of the occupiers in Iraq is worsening.

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 9, 2003

Mr. Sadegh Kharrazi, quoting the French, British, and Germans, said that if Iran does not sign the Additional Protocol, the case will go to the United Nations Security Council, and that America is seeking to use this situation/ It has been decided for some time that, with a positive orientation, negotiations for signing the Additional Protocol would begin; so far they have taken no action and apparently they are trying to obtain permission.

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 8, 2003

Gradually, journalists’ protests against American pressure and censorship in Iraq are growing louder, but the United States pays no attention to them and has even officially notified its unhappy and dissatisfied soldiers in Iraq, / Bani-Sadr has also distanced himself from the remarks of Hossein Khomeini and has said

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 7, 2003

The positions of Mr. Hossein Khomeini [in Iraq] are attracting attention in the foreign media / China has warned Taiwan that if it wants to hold a referendum on independence, it will be attacked / Mr. Heydar Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, who has been hospitalized in Ankara for the past month, has been taken to the United States for continuation of his treatment, and his son Ilham at his request

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 6, 2003

Despite the denial from the Office of Imam Khomeini, Mr. Hossein Khomeini has given another interview and reiterated some of his previous statements, including that in the absence of the Imam of the Age, a religious government should not be established and that a national referendum should be held in Iran regarding the Islamic government, and he has even said...

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - August 5, 2003

There were interesting points in the meeting with the Iraqi guests. The five who spoke were a university professor, leaders of Sunni and Shia tribes, a cleric, and a female teacher. Sheikh Mansour Abdolhassan, the head of the Sunni tribes, had a face resembling Saddam Hussein and was wearing something on his head.

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 4, 2003

Dr. Kamal Kharrazi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, gave an explanation of the pressure from Western countries to accept the Additional Protocol and brought today's article from the Los Angeles Times, which explicitly relied on evidence to accuse Iran of having a nuclear weapons program and being close to achieving it.