Date: March 7, 2002 - Continuation of Reactions to British Prime Minister Tony Blair's Statements on the Potential Attack on Iraq

Friday Prayer Service

Final Editing of Hashemi's Daily Records from 1983

Continuation of Reactions to British Prime Minister Tony Blair's Statements on the Potential Attack on Iraq

Complete Daily Record:

Last night, four Israelis were killed in a suicide operation, and three Palestinians died in bombings. President George Bush, in a reversal of decision, has once again decided to send Anthony Zinni, the former CentCom commander and U.S. special envoy to the Israel-Palestine conflict, to follow up on his previous visit to Palestine.

Lyndon LaRouche, a U.S. presidential candidate, made a bizarre revealing move by accusing several prominent figures in the U.S., including Zbigniew Brzezinski, Samuel Huntington, Henry Kissinger, and various deputies and advisors to the defense and foreign ministers, of being behind the September 11 attacks and the explosions in New York and Washington. This allegation, combined with the recent news of the discovery of a network of 120 Israeli spies in the U.S., has drawn significant attention from global circles.

In Afghanistan, at a meeting of military and jihadist figures, it was decided to form a 150,000-strong national army composed of armed members from existing groups. A major issue that has arisen is the existence of about 700,000 armed individuals, whose fate outside the army remains problematic.

A massive explosion shook Kabul last night, reported to have occurred near the U.S. embassy, while another explosion that took place yesterday in southern Kandahar, where U.S. military personnel are stationed, killed three Afghan soldiers cooperating with the Americans and also caused a large ammunition depot to explode.

Fierce fighting has continued in the southern heights of Paktia, eastern Afghanistan, between al-Qaeda and the Taliban on one side and the U.S. and other foreign soldiers, along with Afghan troops, on the other. American commanders have described it as the most intense battle yet, creating severe panic among Western forces. A U.S. helicopter that had dropped off soldiers was immediately attacked by guerrillas but ultimately rescued by another helicopter after air support.

I went to the University of Tehran for the Friday prayer service. I delivered a sermon on guidance and another addressing the situations in Palestine, Afghanistan, Iran, and the U.S., as well as the petrochemical projects in South Pars and Assaluyeh. The rest of the evening was spent at home studying and preparing the book "Record of Accomplishments" and the memoirs from 1983 for publication. Tony Blair's statements suggest that a U.S. attack on Iraq is imminent, and he is set to spend a few days at Bush's private ranch in the U.S. to consult on this matter.