Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – April 15, 1993

I did not sleep well last night either. After the morning prayer, having breakfast, and getting the news at seven o'clock, we went to the airport and flew toward Sirjan. A warm welcome took place at the Sirjan airport and along the route. [Mr. Seyyed Hossein Marashi], the governor, and the companions provided good information about the situation of Sirjan and the province. We went and visited the protected commercial zone, which is under construction with one thousand and five hundred hectares of land and a good plan. The governor and Mr. [Mohammad Reza] Yazdanpanah, [the CEO of Sirjan Economic Zone], gave explanations. The female consultant engineer provided good explanations. I did an interview and explained the role of the Sirjan Free Zone in storing and facilitating the delivery of goods and materials for factories.

We entered the city of Sirjan. A very magnificent public welcome took place. It was beyond everyone's expectations. Unfortunately, due to the crowd, a number of people were injured. Mr. [Hamid] Mirzadeh, [the Executive Vice President], was anxious in my car that the reception might not be good, and therefore he was very happy and was providing interpretations and analysis.

First, I inaugurated the one hundred and sixty bed Social Security Organization hospital. We visited; it is comprehensive and interesting. They gave a report. I encouraged them. They had brought images of 65 hospitals under construction.

From there, we went to the city stadium. It was a massive, very dense, and enthusiastic gathering. The Friday Prayer Leader and the city representative gave a warm welcome, and I also gave a warm speech for them. From there, we went to the Gol-e-Gohar iron ore mine by Turbotrain. It is an interesting train.

On the way, the Deputy Minister of Roads and Transportation and the manager of the railway company gave good explanations. We saw plains on the way. At the Gol-e-Gohar mine, we heard explanations. In the first phase, it will yield two and a half million tons of iron ore concentrate, and in the second phase, five million tons; it is unfinished and will probably become operational in six months. We also visited the copper ore mine and the concentration plant under execution.

After prayer, lunch, and a talk for the staff, we departed by helicopters toward the Arzuieh district in the south of the province to visit the damage from the recent floods and attend to the people's situation. From the air, we saw several flood-stricken villages and landed in the center of the district. The people had a very spirited and cheerful gathering.

The district governor reported, and I gave a sympathetic speech and promised compensation for damages, reconstruction, and prevention for the future. A number of the affected people came and spoke of the damages. Apparently, in the reports, they have stated the damages much more than the reality. The situation in the area is normal. This region has strong agriculture and good livestock farming.

We flew to the city of Baft. On the way, the governor gave explanations. We landed next to the stadium where people had gathered. It was a very enthusiastic gathering. The Friday Prayer Leader and the city representative welcomed us and raised the demands. A good anthem was performed. The people of Baft and Arzuieh were clapping along with the slogans and also had whistles.

From there, we flew to Bardsir. The route is mountainous and lush, full of snow and plenty of river water and numerous springs. In Bardsir, we also landed next to the gathering of people. They were dense and organized. The Friday Prayer Leader gave a good welcome, and I also had a warm and hope-building talk.

By helicopters, we flew toward Baghin, the Shahid Bahonar factory, which is in the copper peripheral industries. We arrived at sunset. After ablution, prayer, and rest, we visited. The CEO gave complete explanations. It is a very important factory with more than fifty thousand tons of production capacity. It produces various brass, copper, and nickel products from sheets with very low thickness and very thin pipes in various sizes. We visited all the furnaces and rolling lines. It is very clean, organized, and has high added value, but still lacks the necessary market.

Among the staff, we heard the report from the head of the Social Insurance Organization, which owns 51% of the shares, regarding the organization's investments. I spoke for them. We moved toward Kerman by car. We entered the city of Kerman at eleven o'clock. Along the streets of Kerman, whenever I pass, people gather upon seeing the security officers stationed along the route and express warm feelings as we pass. We went to the Master Akbar Sanati Industrial Museum and inaugurated it. Mr. Sanati himself is seventy years old, was present, and gave explanations. He has good works. He is a child of the orphanage.

A short film from the Department of Culture and Islamic Guidance regarding my welcome was shown. We returned to the residence. I took a bath, had dinner, and wrote the diaries of yesterday and today. Effat also came and expressed satisfaction with her trip. Due to two nights of little sleep and many activities over two days, feeling tired, along with the joy of observing the signs of construction and the happiness of the people, we went to sleep late; at half past twelve.