Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - August 1, 2001 - Reaction of the U.S. State Department Spokesperson Following Iran's Military Action Ordered by Ayatollah Khamenei in the Alborz Oil Region

Following the invitation to Hashemi to participate in the annual conference of American physicians; preparation for the speech at this conference tomorrow.

Full Text of the Daily Entry:

I was at home. I spent my time studying. I reviewed several jurisprudential books regarding contemporary issues and prepared for my speech tomorrow at the [34th Scientific Annual Conference and 6th International Meeting of the Islamic Medical Association of North America], gathering Muslim physicians residing in America, focusing on the role of Islam and Iran in the advancement of medical sciences. I also read the new screenplay "The Revolution Alone." I checked bulletins and newspapers, in addition to the news summaries on my computer, which is part of my daily routine. In the evening, I used the pool; there was supposed to be a water cut, but it didn’t happen.

[Arie Fleischer], the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, expressed concern over Iran's actions in preventing exploratory activities by Azerbaijan in the Alborz oil field in the Caspian Sea, implicitly siding with Azerbaijan. [Steven Mann], the U.S. energy advisor for the Caspian Sea, traveled to Baku, and a Turkish parliamentary representative called for Turkey's support for Azerbaijan against Iran. The spokesperson for the British Foreign Office also clarified statements made by their ambassador in Tehran, and there were limited demonstrations in front of the Iranian embassy in Baku.

OPEC has decided to reduce its production by one million barrels per day to maintain oil prices. The slowdown in global economic growth, especially in the U.S., has reduced the demand for oil, and the U.S. has opposed this reduction. The U.S. has withdrawn from the treaty prohibiting the production of biological weapons, which will effectively render the treaty meaningless.

People in Macedonia are angry about perceived Western favoritism toward some demands of ethnic Albanians, and a ceasefire has been established after four days of clashes in Macedonia. [Abdurrahman] Wahid, the ousted president of Indonesia, traveled to the U.S. for treatment, which is seen as a form of escape, while the Indonesian consultative assembly has selected [Megawati] Sukarnoputri as the president from among the leaders of Islamic parties.

General [Alexander] Haig, the former U.S. Secretary of State, threatened Iran, stating that if it continues to obstruct peace in the Middle East, it would face bombing from Israel. The U.S. Senate voted to extend sanctions against Iran and Libya for five years with nine votes in favor and two against.

The murderer of sex workers in Mashhad has been identified and arrested; he is a man named Saeed Hanaei, a bricklayer who confessed to 16 murders, claiming that three other murders were committed by others.