Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – January 2, 1990

It snowed last night. It is a source of happiness. I went to my office. At nine in the morning, Mr. Kamal Kharazi [Permanent Representative of Iran to the United Nations] came. He asked about the quality of interaction with the Americans and the British. I explained the foreign policy. I told them to proceed with the leadership's opinion on solving the hostage problem in Lebanon.

Dr. [Syed Hasan] Arefi [physician of Hazrat Imam (RA)] and Dr. [Mohammed Hasan] Bastan Haq [President of Tehran University of Medical Sciences] came and requested for the construction of a heart hospital. Mr. Masih Mohajeri came and asked for permission to respond to Mr. Montazeri's statements in the editorial [Islamic Republic Newspaper]. I said don't go fast. Mr. Montazeri has said things that indicate the weakness of information and the weakness of calculation and foresight.

Mr. [Roghni] Zanjani [Head of Program and Budget Organization] came with [experts and] officials of [consulting engineers and] contracting, design and technical companies. They reported the work capacity and told the needs. I talked to them in detail and encouraged them to work more and promised support. Mohsen came in the afternoon and brought a computer to install in my room to facilitate things. Mehdi came and told about some kind of initiative in dock building and wanted to use this method.

In the evening [Abdullah Nouri] the Minister of the Interior and the commanders of the police forces, the police, the committee and the gendarmerie came. I spoke for them. Dr. [Mohsen] Noorbakhsh [Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance] came. Foreign exchange policy was discussed and permission was obtained to accept foreign currency deposits.

In the evening, the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution had a meeting. The establishment of educational centers abroad was negotiated and decided. I stayed in my office at night. I worked until midnight.