Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - October 10, 2001 - Report by Hassan Rouhani on Negotiations with Ayatollah Khamenei Regarding the Potential Threat of U.S. Attack and Regional Situation

Participation in the Meeting of Friday Prayer Leaders and Accounts of Ayatollah Khamenei and Others' Encouragement of His Sermons

Consultative Meeting with Eshaq Jahangiri

Meeting with Seyyed Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai, Lawyer, After His Release from Prison Due to Complaints by Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi and a Report on Prison Conditions, and an Account from Montazeri Moghadam, the Deposed President of the Revolutionary Court of Karaj, and the Mediation of Ayatollah Shabiri Zanjani, Which Did Not Capture Ayatollah Khamenei's Attention

Full Text of the Daily Note:

I went to the [16th National Meeting of Friday Prayer Leaders] at the Al-Zahra (S) Hosseiniyeh for a speech. They informed me that in a survey of the Friday prayer leaders, my speeches from the previous year received a 62% excellent rating and 32% good, significantly better than other speeches, and they are eagerly awaiting my address now. Mr. [Aboulghasem] Khazali praised my recent Friday sermons and encouraged them to learn from me.

In the session with Mr. [Seyyed Reza] Taqavi, [the head of the National Policy Council of Friday Prayer Leaders], he welcomed me and urged me to attend Friday prayers more often, stating that many Friday prayer leaders derive their sermon policies from my statements. He mentioned that in a meeting with the Leader, he said that Mr. Hashemi's sermon is incomparable to any other; "لا يُقاسُ بِنا أحَدٌ" [No one can be compared with him]. I delivered an extensive speech regarding the current global situation, the U.S. crisis, their reactive policies, their anti-Islamic stance, their plans to confront supportive countries, the situation in Pakistan, and more.

I then went to my office, where Mr. [Eshaq] Jahangiri, the Minister of Industries [and Mines], visited. He discussed the insecurity for investment, the challenges facing managers, the inability to sell domestic products due to the influx of foreign goods, and the numerous issues within domestic industries, making it difficult to create jobs despite the Leader's insistence. He had questions about the regional and global situation in light of the U.S. attacks on Afghanistan.

In the evening, Mr. [Mahmoud] Alizadeh Tabatabai, [a lawyer and member of the Tehran City Council], who had recently been released from prison, came. He described the poor conditions in prison, particularly for young inmates, due to moral deviations. He mentioned that the head of the Revolutionary Court in Karaj, who has recently been convicted, claims that all these accusations are lies and part of a conspiracy. His brother, who is in the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council, received a letter from Ayatollah [Seyyed Mousa] Shabiri Zanjani for the Leader, but it did not yield results.

That night, Dr. [Hassan] Rouhani, [the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council], visited. He stated that he had discussed the potential threat of a U.S. attack with the Leader, seeking solutions. The Leader emphasized that discussions should focus on how to respond, not on getting closer to the U.S. Dr. Rouhani noted that there is dissatisfaction among the members of the Supreme National Security Council regarding the Leader's hardline stance, including among military officials. He mentioned that the U.S. and Britain have named a few individuals and claimed they have connections to bin Laden, [the leader of al-Qaeda], requesting their extradition, marking the beginning of pressure. He reported that following the Leader's recent statements, the U.S. has hinted, and Britain has explicitly stated, that they are gradually losing hope in Iran, and the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan occasionally acts against Iran's interests in cooperation with the U.S.

Today, airstrikes against Afghanistan continued and expanded this evening; [Colin Powell], the U.S. Secretary of Defense, stated that victory cannot be achieved solely through airstrikes and that alternative strategies must be considered. They claimed the U.S. has bombed its intended targets and is finding new objectives harder to identify. In Pakistan, the situation is deteriorating; a fire broke out at the military headquarters today, and leaders of Islamic parties have been arrested, leading to increasing public protests. Demonstrations condemning the U.S. are escalating in many countries and cities, including Iran; in Qom, Mashhad, and Gorgan, clerics have held gatherings, and students have staged sit-ins in front of the United Nations office.

In the U.S., public fear of chemical and biological weapons being used by terrorists is intense, and sessions are underway in Congress to address these issues. Congress is considering amending the U.S. Constitution to ensure that if a number of representatives are killed, Congress does not lose its legitimacy. In Qatar, foreign ministers of the [Organization of Islamic Cooperation] held a meeting, but the final statement did not announce any significant decisions. The statement from [Suleiman] Bougith, the second-in-command of al-Qaeda, encouraging jihad, has stirred waves.