Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – July 16, 2003

A group of seminary students from the Masoumiyeh Seminary in Qom arrived; they are bound for Syria and Lebanon. Mr. Ahmadi, one of the seminary’s instructors, presented a report on the state of the school. I, too, delivered a detailed address regarding the clergy, their duties, and the conditions of the times.

We held a meeting with the deputies of the Center for Strategic Research; the session covered a review and critique of the Center's activities, and it was decided to place new topics on the agenda for the expansion of research.

In the evening, Mr. Salman Ghaffari, the former ambassador to the Vatican, came to see me. He criticized the past and present management of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stating that his experience and knowledge were not being utilized.

Dr. [Alireza] Bahrampour, the CEO of the Telecommunications Company, arrived. He stated that the Minister [of Post, Telegraph, and Telephone] had decided to appoint a new CEO for the company and had asked him to accept the position of Deputy for Research; however, he had declined. He believes that contractors pressured the Minister to dismiss him—acting through Ayatollah [Seyyed Mahmoud Hashemi] Shahroudi, [the Head of the Judiciary]—because he had put an end to their illicit interests.

In Iraq, public pressure on the occupying forces has intensified, and [Paul] Bremer—the head of the Coalition Provisional Authority—has stated that the occupiers will leave the country once a government chosen by the people is established. Demonstrations were held in Baghdad and Basra against the Governing Council to protest the U.S.-imposed nature of its appointment and Bremer’s veto power; meanwhile, Sunnis have also voiced objections due to the fact that Shiites hold the majority of seats on the council. The United States has urged the United Nations to recognize the council. Two armed groups in Iraq have warned other nations against accepting the U.S. proposal to deploy troops to the country.

It was announced in the United States that the federal budget faces a deficit of $455 billion—an unprecedented figure in U.S. history. This deficit stems from economic recession, tax cuts, widespread unemployment, and the costs associated with war and security; meanwhile, Democrats have officially called on U.S. President Bush to dismiss Vice President Dick Cheney for orchestrating the speech that contained deliberate falsehoods.

Counter-revolutionary satellite broadcasts targeting Iran have been cut off; this interruption—originating from the US—is viewed as a sign of Iran's significant power, though, in an attempt to downplay this, it is claimed that the jamming signals are being transmitted from Cuban soil. The Ministry of Health has stated that Zahra Kazemi’s death was caused by a brain hemorrhage resulting from a blow.