Akbar Hashemi's Memoirs - November 4, 1999 - Abdullah Nouri Defends U.S. Negotiation in Court, Criticizes Hostility as Harmful

In today's court session, Abdullah Nouri defended the idea of negotiating with the United States, calling the ongoing hostility a source of harm.

At the Koushk office, I spent time reading newspapers and bulletins until 4 PM and also used the swimming pool as recommended by doctors to relieve my back pain and prevent other issues. They’ve advised swimming and sauna, but I rarely have enough time. I try to do it once a week, and I usually walk or jog on the treadmill for 15 minutes a day, as a substitute for mountain climbing, which requires more time.

Anti-American rallies were held across the country today, marking November 4th, the National Day Against Global Arrogance. Despite negative media coverage and attempts by students from Daftar-e Tahkim Vahdat, who view themselves as responsible for the U.S. Embassy takeover, to push for reconciliation, public participation in the rallies was not bad. Following the Leader’s rebuke of their recent retreat in yesterday's speech, their political rivals have been harshly criticizing them.

Today, Abdullah Nouri, in his court session, defended the idea of negotiating with the U.S. and criticized the tradition of hostility, calling it damaging. Western media are skillfully promoting this softening stance, while its opponents are condemning it.

In other international news, two days ago, Russia tested its anti-missile defense system in retaliation for U.S. actions. Meanwhile, Georgia announced that if Russia attempts to deploy large military forces in the North Caucasus under the pretext of the Chechen war, it will quickly seek NATO membership, a move that NATO is keenly interested in for gaining a foothold in the region.

An explosion occurred at a camp of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) near Basra, resulting in seven deaths and 78 injuries among MKO members and Iraqis. Iraq and the MKO claim that Iran launched a missile attack, but Iran has denied this, attributing the explosion to internal conflicts within Iraq. Yesterday, near Iranshahr, law enforcement forces fell into an ambush set by bandits, leading to the tragic martyrdom of 38 personnel, which is deeply sorrowful news.