Akbar Hashemi's Memoirs - February 5, 2000 - Discussions Regarding the Organized Seminary Students' Sit-In Over Nikahang Kowsar's Cartoon

• Discussions on the Seminary Students' Sit-In Over Nikahang Kowsar's Cartoon and Attempts to Resolve the Issue in the Open Session of the Expediency Council
• Rejection by President Mohammad Khatami of the Protesters' Demand to Dismiss the Minister of Culture, Threatening to Resign if Pressured
• Consultation with Hassan Rouhani Regarding His Candidacy in the Midterm Assembly of Experts Elections in Semnan
• Concerns from Ghorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi About the New Investigative Team on the Chain Murders and Requesting Hashemi's Intervention
• Important Consultation with Seyyed Hossein Marashi Regarding the Statement by the Kargozaran Party in Support of Ataollah Mohajerani, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance
• Meeting with Sheikh Hossein Taeb, Encouraging Hashemi to Engage in the Elections and Intervene to End the Seminary Students' Sit-In
• Continued Electoral Consultations with Ali Larijani
• Complain from Masih Mohajeri Regarding the Office of the Supreme Leader and Request for Hashemi's Mediation to End the Sit-In
• Meeting with General Qassem Soleimani, Along with Several Foreign Muslims Recently Released from Prison
• Nighttime Mortar Attack on the Vicinity of the Presidential Office, Judiciary, Expediency Council, and Supreme Leader’s Office
• Verbal Message from Ayatollah Khamenei, Delivered Through the Chairman of the Assembly of Experts to End the Sit-In in Qom

The Expediency Council held a meeting where most discussions centered around the sit-in by seminary students and finding a solution to the issue. Some suggested that the Council issue a statement, while others opposed it. Once a draft was prepared, the stance of both groups shifted. Government supporters wanted the sit-in condemned, while the opposing side sought its endorsement. Ultimately, the Council decided not to issue any statement, especially since the session did not have enough members to pass a resolution.

President Khatami firmly rejected the protesters’ demand to dismiss the Minister of Culture, stating that if anyone were to resign, it would be him. He also raised the possibility of a counter-reaction from students.

After the meeting, Dr. Hassan Rouhani came to consult about running in the midterm Assembly of Experts election in Semnan, given the continued candidacy of Mohammad Momen and the withdrawal of Nadhari. We agreed to consider the situation further.

Ghorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi expressed concern about the findings of the new investigative team on the chain murders and asked me to ensure no unfair claims were made.

At noon, Hossein Marashi brought in a poll about the elections and consulted about a potential statement from the Kargozaran Party regarding Minister Ataollah Mohajerani. I advised them to wait.

In the afternoon, Hossein Taeb came and expressed gratitude for my involvement in the elections. He suggested I intervene to end the seminary students' sit-in. He believes the elections will favor the left-wing. Ali Larijani, who visited earlier, had the same recommendation, noting that Intelligence Ministry polls show growing public support for me and declining support for President Khatami’s government.

Masih Mohajeri arrived to give me advice on my campaign’s media strategy and voiced complaints about the Office of the Supreme Leader. He also urged me to press for an end to the sit-in at Qom’s A'zam Mosque.

General Qassem Soleimani, along with a group of foreign Muslims recently released from prison, came for treatment in Iran.

Later in the evening, several mortar shells were fired near the presidential office, with two exploding in the open area of the Expediency Council’s compound and another hitting a printing house on Vali Asr Street, resulting in several injuries and one death. We had received prior warnings about possible operations by the Mujahedin [MEK].

That same evening, Ayatollah Meshkini, the Chairman of the Assembly of Experts, delivered a verbal message from the Supreme Leader to the protesters in Qom, thanking them and affirming their demands but requesting an end to the sit-in. Today, in many cities, seminary students gathered in mosques and schools to show support for the Qom protesters, including in Mashhad, Tabriz, Tehran, Kerman, Babol, and Qazvin. Several religious figures, including Hossein Noori Hamedani, Mohammad Yazdi, Meshkini, and Morteza Moqtadaei, also joined the sit-in, and classes at the Qom Seminary were suspended. Even Qom’s bazaar declared it would close tomorrow. The issuance of statements by various groups and institutions began, raising concerns that the situation could spiral out of control.

In Lebanon, Israel has retreated from one of its occupied fortresses, marking the third such withdrawal this year, which is seen as a victory for the resistance. In the UK, due to the failure of the Irish Republican Army to disarm, Parliament has passed a resolution to nullify the peace treaty.