Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – December 16, 1994

First of all, in order to visit the state of peace and military facilities and construction plans of Abu Musa Island, we flew to this island with a Fokker 100 plane. A military welcome ceremony was held. Timsar [Ali] Shamkhani, [Army Navy Commander] and [Mr. Naimabadi], Imam Juma and [Mr. Gholam Abbas Zairi], Governor of Hormozgan also came.

In the underground tactical base, the chief commander of the island, who is Captain Nadaja [Army Navy], gave a full report. The commander of the El-Hadi brigade of the IRGC from Shiraz also reported on the engineering measures. We visited the embankments and fortifications around the island and the sites, the air defense and the power plant of the Arabs of Sharjah, the harbor and the Nimthamdah morgue, the new water reservoir, the settlements of the pearl fishermen, the old city and the power plant.

On the routes, Mr. Shamkhani and Mr. Zairi explained. The Arab neighborhood is ruined, but our new buildings are very good. I gave two short encouraging speeches in the presence of the soldiers and the people of the island. I told Mr. Shamkhani, on my behalf, to give one month's extra salary to the personnel. He said that the IRGC has good fortifications under construction in the small and large Tonb islands. Due to the recent positions of the UAE and the presence of Western forces, especially the United States, in the region, we have decided to be ready for defense and have allocated part of the construction credits for defense matters.

From there we flew to Khark Island. On the way, Mr. Shamkhani gave a full report on the situation of the region, himself and the forces and said that our missile sites on the coast and islands have all the territory of the UAE within the missile range and are a huge and invincible power.

He expressed dissatisfaction with the situation of his superior headquarters and commanders; Basically, since the end of the war with Iraq, he has been afraid of the military profession and wants to do civilian work which they do not allow. He asks me for help to solve the problem. Mr. Zairi also requested for the needs of the province.

We landed at Khark Island Airport at 12:30 PM. After the formal welcome, prayer and lunch, we went to the Eastern T-Square. They gave a reconstruction report. We visited the control room and the dock and loading of ships. Then the crude oil tanks were visited and after that, the western wharf - Azarpad - was visited. It has been reconstructed much better and more modern than the first, at a cost of 270 million dollars. Some very big ships were loading. Efat, Mohsen, Mehdi and Yaser are with me.

Then we had the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the methanol plant. Most of the gases have been burning together with the oil wells of the region since the beginning of exploitation, twenty-five years ago; With the construction of the methanol plant, these gases will become a valuable product and in one year, the entire cost of the project will be returned. I did an interview.

We flew to Kish. We arrived in Kish at six o'clock. Chastity has been affected by the grandeur of Khark's facilities, but Abu Musa has not taken his eyes off it.