Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - April 14, 2001 - Report from Hassan Rouhani on Meeting with Seyyed Mohammad Khatami and Advice Against Running in Upcoming Elections

Report from Hassan Rouhani on Meeting with Seyyed Mohammad Khatami and Advice Against Running in Upcoming Elections
Meeting with the Assistants of the Strategic Research Center Focusing on Elections and the Next Government
Meeting with Ali Mohammad Basharati and Political Consultations
Meeting with Bijan Namdar Zanganeh and Report on the Ministry's Executive and Development Plans

Full Diary Text:

Dr. [Hassan] Rouhani, [Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council], came and reported that he had a meeting with Mr. [Seyyed Mohammad] Khatami, [the President], and advised him against running for office again, as he has not been able to achieve anything significant so far, and the situation will be worse in the next term. However, he perceived that Khatami intends to run. Rouhani sought consultation regarding a candidate from the Justice and Development Party, with whom they were scheduled to consult later that afternoon.

We had a meeting with the assistants of the Strategic Research Center of the Expediency Council. Most discussions revolved around the elections. Generally, they believe that if Khatami runs, the next four years will be marked by more disagreements and worsened conditions, while they do not propose any alternative paths.

In the afternoon, Mr. [Ali Mohammad] Basharati, [former Minister of Interior], came to discuss the worsening situation and the improvements seen during the Reconstruction Era.

Mr. [Bijan Namdar] Zanganeh, [the Minister of Oil], and his deputies arrived. They provided a report on the current affairs of the Ministry of Oil, including exploration, industry, production, and export, as well as significant projects in gas, oil, and petrochemicals, and converting vehicles to run on gas. They mentioned that Shell has conducted seismic surveys for Iran in the Caspian Sea, identifying several oil and gas reservoirs, most of which are located north of the Astara-Hosseynqoli line, with some off the coast of Rudsar and Ramsar, totaling approximately 30 billion barrels of oil. Mr. [Mohammad Reza] Nemat-Zadeh, [the Deputy Minister of Oil for Petrochemicals and CEO of the National Petrochemical Company], also reported on petrochemicals, while Mehdi, [the CEO of the Fuel Consumption Optimization Organization], discussed the gas conversion of vehicles, predicting a bright future for the oil, gas, and petrochemical industries based on ongoing projects.

In the Pakistani media, there were criticisms regarding the Indian Prime Minister's visit to Iran and the warming relations with Iran, as well as India's announcement to mediate in the Afghanistan issue.