Memories of Akbar Hashemi - January 26, 2002 - Meeting with the Leadership of the Second Khordad Faction and Political and Parliamentary Consultations Regarding Shahram Jazayeri Arab's Trial

Meeting with Mohammad Hossein Rezayi, Head of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, Who Promised That No One Would Be Waiting for Hajj Pilgrimage Within Two Years and Criticism of the Health Ministry's Policies Regarding Hajj Sacrifices

Meeting with Sheikh Mehdi Hadaei Tehrani and His Colleagues from the Ravaq Hikmat Institute to Discuss Their Educational Programs

Meeting with General Hossein Alaii and a Report on the Development Plans for Imam Khomeini Prayer Ground

Meeting with the Officials of the Fajr Decade

Meeting with the Leadership of the Second Khordad Faction and Political and Parliamentary Consultations Regarding Shahram Jazayeri Arab's Trial

Full Text of the Daily Notes:

Today, snow continued in Tehran and most cities across the country. Due to the cold and snow, natural gas consumption has increased significantly in many areas, including Tehran, causing gas pressure drops and shutdowns of heating appliances, which has led to numerous complaints. It seems that the Ministry of Oil has neglected to manage gas supplies by diverting gas from power plants to increase household consumption while using diesel and mazut instead.

Most of my time was spent studying, including the draft of the "Encyclopedia of the Holy Quran" and the book "Imam Ali (AS) in the Words of Hashemi Rafsanjani," which contains many of my statements from Friday prayers and other speeches, as well as the "National Security Strategy" brochure and a report on "America's Star Wars Program and SALT I and II Treaties."

In the evening, Mr. Ali Yunusi and Mr. Ahmad Shafi'i, Minister and Deputy Minister of Intelligence, visited. They expressed concerns regarding the potential content of the ruling in the serial killings case, and I communicated their worries to Ayatollah Khamenei over the phone. They reported on the actions taken against several teams of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization.

Mr. Mohammad Hossein Rezayi, head of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, stated that within two years, no one would be waiting to perform Hajj, mentioning that despite a public invitation, only 50,000 people had registered. He also mentioned that next year, the Umrah pilgrimage would be updated, and with the permission of the religious authorities, the majority of pilgrims would send their sacrifices to an official center in Saudi Arabia, although the Ministry of Health is strict about returning the meat of the sacrifices for the poor in Iran. This year, 30,000 pilgrims will be flown to their destination by Saudi Airlines.

Mr. Mehdi Hadaei Tehrani, along with some of his colleagues, visited. He is a talented cleric, a graduate of Sharif University in Electrical Engineering, who joined the Qom seminary in 1979. He brought several of his works and explained about the Ravaq Hikmat Institute, mentioning a proposal to establish an online university, and requested that I accept the presidency of its board of trustees after I proposed the idea of a comprehensive university in Qom.

Mr. Hossein Alaii, director of Imam Khomeini Prayer Ground in Tehran, provided an update on the construction progress of the prayer ground. This year's budget was set at five billion tomans, with 70% allocated, and an annual contribution of 50 million tomans from the leadership. He mentioned that the first aircraft jointly manufactured by Iran and Ukraine would soon take flight, but the Ukrainian government is unable to fulfill its commitments due to a lack of sales opportunities.

In the afternoon, the officials for the Fajr Decade celebrations came by. During my speech, I discussed the significant achievements of the revolution. In the evening, the leadership of the Second Khordad Faction of the Majlis visited, including Seyed Ali Akbar Mohtashami, Behzad Nabavi, Ali Shakouri Rad, Elaheh Koulaei, and Ali Asghar Rahmani Khalili. They expressed dissatisfaction with the developments surrounding Shahram Jazayeri's case and the mention of key Second Khordad figures, such as President Seyed Mohammad Khatami, Speaker of the Majlis Mehdi Karroubi, and Hadi Khamenei. They shared various analyses of the factors influencing this situation, which they deemed neither realistic nor logical, and sought assistance in addressing this issue.

I remarked that this is just one instance of broader dynamics affecting the governance of the country, and a comprehensive solution is needed to resolve disputes and irregularities. The issue of teachers' protests is another example, with both the right and left factions blaming each other for instigation. They acknowledged that an individual from the Participation Front played a significant role in initiating the protests and called for a strike, although they claim it was to control the emerging situation. A person from the right faction is reportedly in a similar situation. Protests and gatherings by teachers have occurred in many cities across the country today, and foreign media have been actively inciting these events. I asked why the newspaper Norooz has requested the names of individuals accused of bribery or receiving help from Jazayeri; they had no answer, saying it was an individual initiative. Mr. Karroubi has also suggested that everyone should be named without discrimination, but now that it has been stated, he seems unhappy. Mr. Mohtashami expressed skepticism about the intentions of Hashemi Shahrudi, the head of the judiciary. I noted that this method of fighting economic corruption, along with extensive propaganda and unfounded accusations, is inconsistent with the eventual outcomes.

In a martyrdom operation in Jerusalem, a significant number of Israelis were killed and injured. A helicopter carrying senior Russian military personnel exploded over Chechnya, resulting in the deaths of 14 people, including two generals. The U.S. has once again halted an Iranian ship for inspection.

Hamid Karzai, the head of the interim government of Afghanistan, has begun his foreign trips in Saudi Arabia and went to Japan for a conference on aid to Afghanistan, where he was involved in a car accident. He is now in the U.S. and has stated that his next trip will be to Iran.