Memories of Akbar Hashemi - June 26, 2001 - A Gathering of Some Notable Figures of the Time with Hashemi Regarding the Analysis of the Conservative Faction and Their Complaints About the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary

The request of Seyyed Mohammad Khatami from Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani on the sidelines of the Expediency Discernment Council meeting to approve additional clauses of the general policies of the system in foreign policy, to ratify the sixth Parliament's resolution on foreign policy that was rejected by the Guardian Council and sent to the Expediency Council by the insistence of the Parliament, and Hashemi's reference to the fact that this matter is in line with the views of Ayatollah Khamenei, advising Khatami to discuss it directly with the Ayatollah, are noteworthy points.

A gathering of several notable figures of the time with Hashemi discussed the analysis of the conservative faction and their complaints about the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary regarding the electoral politics of some members concerning Ahmad Tavakoli.

A meeting with Jeremy Roger Newman, the Australian ambassador in Tehran.

A consultative meeting with General Taghavi ahead of assuming the role of Deputy for Protection and Inspection at the Secretariat of the Expediency Discernment Council.

The issuance of statements and announcements, along with controversies regarding Seyyed Mohammad Khatami's comments about the Hadith of Ghadir Khumm, which led to his clarifications.

Full Text of the Daily Record:

The Expediency Discernment Council held a meeting. We completed the general policies of national security in foreign policy. Mr. [Seyyed Mohammad] Khatami, the President, asked me in the session to assist in the ratification of the Parliament's resolution regarding foreign investment, which had been sent to the Council by the Guardian Council. I said that the Guardian Council's reasoning is similar to that of the leadership in this regard; it would be good for you to negotiate directly with the leader. Before addressing the agenda, I spoke briefly about the elections.

In the afternoon, Mr. [Abbas Vaez] Tabasi, [Ali Akbar] Nategh-Nouri, [Ahmad] Jannati, [Mohammad Ali] Moayedi-Kermani, [Mohammad] Yazdi, and [Ghorbanali] Dorri-Najafabadi were my guests. We discussed the elections and the future. They agreed that the conservative faction no longer holds the majority and that if they continue with the same rhetoric and ideas, their situation will worsen in the future. They also criticized the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary for allowing members to express their personal opinions about Mr. Ahmad Tavakoli in the elections. We discussed solutions for preserving the revolution in the future.

In the evening, Mr. [Jeremy Roger Newman], the Australian ambassador, came. He requested support for the development of relations and mentioned that they have prepared a refinery in Australia for the purchase of Iranian crude oil. Mr. Taghavi came and provided explanations about his research and writings on rural management and sought advice on accepting the role of protection for the Expediency Discernment Council. He had previously been responsible for protection at the front and managed the intelligence protection for Operation Valfajr 8 well.

The widespread protests by the people against capitalism and the development of the European Union continue in Sweden, causing frustration among them and affecting their plans.

In Qom and some other places, a statement was issued against Mr. [Seyyed Mohammad] Khatami because of his interpretation of the Hadith of Ghadir, and he is being excommunicated. They claim that he stated in an electoral speech that the guardianship in the Hadith of Ghadir pertains to the continuation of the discussion, similar to the Sunni perspective; although he later explicitly interpreted it as governance.