Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – December 20, 1998

Although it has been two days that the blessed month of Ramadan has begun in many Islamic countries—since the day before yesterday in Saudi Arabia and the majority of countries, and from today in the rest—today the Leader's office announced that the sighting of the Ramadan crescent has not yet been established for the Leadership in Iran, and today is the last day of Sha'ban. Mr. Mostafa Mirsalim had also sent a research text and claimed that today the crescent is definitively not visible.

The news related to the halt of military attacks has made many happy and many surprised, about America's and Britain's behavior, given their previous statements regarding continuing the attack during Ramadan and until Saddam's fall. Iraq too has triumphantly announced that the inspections are over and it will no longer accept inspectors and the sanctions must be lifted. America and Britain have announced that the inspections will become more serious and if Iraq does not accept, the sanctions will be intensified and the attacks may be renewed.

Mr. Isaka Mbaki, the new ambassador of Senegal, came. He brought the friendship message of Mr. Abdou Diouf, the President of Senegal, and Sheikh Serigne Mbacké, the head of the Mouride order. He said he is the nephew of the Sheikh, and the Sheikh, thanking me for my trip to the city of Touba in Senegal which is the seat of their order, had asked me to support the ambassador.

Mr. Seyyed Mohammad Jahromi from the secretariat of the Expediency Discernment Council came. There was discussion about the Council's directives. Regarding the council elections, he consulted about running in Tehran. He wanted me to help the Kargozaran [Construction] Party present an independent list and not form a coalition with the leftists. Mr. Mohammad Gharazi came. He had points about the council elections and the mistake of the right faction in past years and today.

In the afternoon I worked in my office. News came that Messrs. Mohammad Fazel Lankarani and Hossein Nouri Hamadani, [sources of emulation], in Qom, have announced that today is Ramadan; given the Leadership's ruling, it is a big problem. In the reports it was said that yesterday and last night, after the broadcast of the news of Iran's victory in the Asian football [competition] in Thailand, in many cities there were natural celebratory demonstrations and in several cities including Hamadan and Isfahan, a group of youths clashed with the police and committed vandalism and chanted slogans against the system.

At night I was the Leadership's guest. For him too it has become established today that it is Ramadan, and they issued a new announcement that tomorrow is the second of Ramadan, which is very bad, but apparently there is no choice. Mr. Ali Asghar Hejazi brought the text of the second statement for the Leadership's confirmation. I said it is an unprecedented action and even if it happens, it will be much discussed.

Then we discussed the Iraq war and the unjustifiable action of America and Britain, how they bombed a country for four nights on their own initiative and stopped without achieving their goals and in practice confirmed the claim of being related to the impeachment, and surely a wave of mockery and protest will follow. Ayatollah Khamenei said that if Al Gore, [the US Vice President], comes to power, America's policy toward Iran will become harsher; because he is anti-Iran and an extremist supporter of Israel.

There was talk about Mr. Seyyed Mohammad Khatami's, [the President's], session at Sharif University. Ayatollah Khamenei also considers it harmful, but said it is not expected that Mr. Khatami would confront the students. I said the protests against Mr. Khatami have reached the level of insult and abuse and are still continuing. Referring to the incidents related to the youths' demonstrations after the football team's victory and the university issues and the condition of the newspapers and the economic problems, I announced my concern, and he, while accepting the problems, is not as worried as I am, but is upset about the condition of the newspapers and the high prices and is upset with the Zan newspaper too because of its extremism in matters related to the murders and asked me to admonish Faezeh, and is also more upset with the Iran newspaper and the [IRNA] news agency. There was talk about the text related to the special council that they have sent to the Council as a problem. He had had a light iftar; together we had plum fish for dinner.

I came home. Fati and Yaser and Maryam and Leili came. I played with Leili for a while. Yaser gave explanations about the suitable photos he has prepared for the book of the memoirs of the year 1981. Fati prepared plum chicken for my sahar and for Kazem [Marashi, my brother-in-law], and left.