Memories of Akbar Hashemi - January 16, 2002 - Akbar Hashemi's Extremely Important Analysis on the Release of Hossein Laghmanian and Laghmanian's Failure to Thank Ayatollah Khamenei, Only Thanking Akbar Ganjis and Emadeddin Baghi

Akbar Hashemi's critical analysis regarding the release of Hossein Laghmanian, who failed to express gratitude towards Ayatollah Khamenei and instead thanked Akbar Ganjis and Emadeddin Baghi.

Although the Second of Khordad faction and Sheikh Mehdi Karroubi expressed gratitude towards the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, none of them thanked Seyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi.

A meeting with Shawqi Ismail Ali Suleiman, the Egyptian interests representative in Iran.

A meeting with Sheikh Mohammad Reza Noori Shahroudi, who provided a report on the situation in Saudi Arabia.

A meeting with members of the Youth and Women's Committee of the Expediency Council.

A meeting with General Qassem Soleimani, who, while reporting on news of a ship claimed by Israel, complained about the Foreign Ministry regarding Afghanistan policies.

He particularly criticized Mohsen Aminzadeh for not adhering to Ayatollah Khamenei's directives and appointing General Hossein Dehghan as the head of Afghanistan reconstruction.

General Soleimani also expressed discontent with Ali Rabiei, the then-executive secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, whom Seyed Mohammad Khatami was unable to replace with Hassan Rouhani, as he had previously appointed him as the executive secretary instead.

Complete Daily Report:

Leftist and Western media expressed happiness over the release of Mr. Laghmanian, [a representative from Hamedan], calling it a significant victory against the conservatives. However, some have warned that this is a temporary and tactical victory, as the publication of the Guardian Council's opinion clarifying the lack of immunity for representatives does not meet their primary demands. In his statements, Laghmanian did not thank the Supreme Leader and only expressed gratitude to the people, his colleagues, Akbar Ganjis, and [Emadeddin] Baghi. Although the Second of Khordad faction and Mr. Karroubi, [the Speaker of Parliament], thanked the Supreme Leader, none expressed gratitude to Mr. Hashemi Shahroudi, [the head of the Judiciary], who had facilitated the pardon upon his request.

Mr. Shawqi [Ismail Ali Suleiman], the Egyptian interests representative, came to discuss the importance of cooperation between Egypt and Iran in defending the Islamic world and the drawbacks of the separation between the two countries. Mr. [Mohammad Reza] Noori Shahroudi, [former Iranian ambassador to Saudi Arabia], reported that Saudi officials are dissatisfied with American pressures. He quoted Mr. [Khalid] Tuwaijri, [head of Prince Abdullah's office], stating that the U.S. has pressured to reduce the volume of religious education in schools, has detained hundreds of Saudis in America, and that the atmosphere in America is unsafe for Saudis. He mentioned that there are plans to demolish a castle remaining from the Ottoman era overlooking the Kaaba and to construct numerous buildings for pilgrims to enhance their comfort, along with a new plan for the expansion of the shrine. I noted that news of the castle's demolition had been reported, that Turkey had protested, and in response, Saudi Arabia demanded the world recognize the genocide of Armenians [by the Ottoman government from 1915 to 1918].

Members of the Youth and Women’s Committees of the Expediency Council came to provide work reports and seek guidance.

In the evening, General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force [of the IRGC], came. He stated that there is no record in Iran regarding the weapon ship claimed by Israel and that the Israelis likely fabricated it for their own purposes. He expressed significant criticism of the Foreign Ministry regarding Afghanistan, particularly against Mr. [Mohsen] Aminzadeh, [the Deputy for Asia and Oceania at the Foreign Ministry], stating that they do not act according to the Supreme Leader's orders. He cited the appointment of Mr. [Hossein] Dehghan as the head of Afghanistan reconstruction instead of Mr. Aref, as well as issues related to the IRGC's involvement in consular responsibilities, which the Foreign Ministry opposes. He complained about the actions and thoughts of Mr. Ali Rabiei in the Secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council. He noted that the IRGC has actions underway in Afghanistan but has not been allocated a budget and believes many key al-Qaeda figures have exited Afghanistan and left through Iran, including relatives of [Osama] bin Laden, [the leader of al-Qaeda]. A significant number of them remain in Afghanistan, with some in Pakistan, while the leaders of al-Qaeda and the Taliban have not been harmed. The individuals captured by the Americans are lower-ranking members of al-Qaeda, and it is believed that an armed resistance against foreign forces in Afghanistan will begin in the future; [Gulbuddin] Hikmatyar, [the leader of the Islamic Party of Afghanistan], has also officially announced this. He mentioned that during his last trip to Russia, he realized that the Russians are angry about the U.S. presence in Central Asia and Afghanistan, and today news has emerged that Americans have left Tajikistan.