Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – January 6, 1995

First of all, Dr. Rouhani, [Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council], informed by phone that last night in Isfahan, Timsar [Mansour] Sattari, [Army Air Force Commander] and Timsar [Mustafa] Ardestani, and Timsar [Alireza] Yasini and several other Air Force commanders and the crew of the Jet Star plane were martyred in the plane crash; I was very impressed. Both Sattari and Ardestani served very well in the war, and Timsar Sattari did a lot of effective work and saved a lot in the administration of Nahaja, especially technical and industrial affairs. I don't know anyone as good as Timsar Sattari in all the armed forces, and Ardestani was also an exemplary and unique pilot, and losing them is really a great loss.

Dr. Rouhani was also very friendly with them and knew their value and insisted that I declare a day of public mourning and that I send a message of condolence to the leadership. In order not to turn the issue into a political issue, and on the other hand, they would have high expectations of announcing public mourning for the death of elders, we did not consider public mourning expedient, and in consultation with Ayatollah Khamenei, it was enough to send a condolence message.

Last night, Tayyaba's wife and companions, Fati, Azam and the children came, and today Mahdi, Yaser and Mahmoud arrived with their children. Because of Hajiya Valdeh, who are very old and worn out, they were all gathered at noon. It was a good family gathering. In the evening, we ate Ashreshta. We left Lethyan before sunset. Hossein Sharifian gave good information about the market situation and economy of Turkmenistan and their exchanges with Khorasan province.

I read the reports at home at night. Despite Mr. Yeltsin's announcement of the order to stop the attack on Chechnya, the bombing of Grozny and the Russian army are still being strengthened. A video report of the situation in Azerbaijan was broadcast on TV. It is interesting. I wrote the memories of two days.