Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – July 20, 1981

Before going to Parliament, I went to visit Mr. Khamenei. His condition is improving, and I discussed current issues with him and consulted him.

Dr. Sheibani and Abolqasem Sarhadi-Zadeh also came and reported the assassination attempt against Mr. Asgaroladi, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament and a presidential candidate, as well as his survival and the killing, wounding, and arrest of all three attackers.

I came to Parliament and spoke by telephone with Mr. Asgaroladi at Shaban Hospital. His hand was wounded, but it is not serious. The attackers were members of the Mojahedin-e Khalq. One of their apparent objectives was to delay the presidential election.

In my office, bulletproof glass was being installed on the windows, and the office was in disarray. Mr. Yarmohammadi came with the building plans for two hundred housing units for members of Parliament, and Dr. Velayati came with a poster design commemorating the Parliament members who were martyred in the bombing at the headquarters of the Islamic Republican Party, seeking consultation.

At noon, Mr. Nouri, the Deputy Foreign Minister, came and proposed Engineer [Mir-Hossein] Mousavi for the premiership. Mr. [Fazlollah] Mahallati [the Imam’s representative in the Revolutionary Guards] came and complained about the purging of Abu Sharif’s associates from the Revolutionary Guards and asked for help.

Ayatollah Rabbani-Amolshi, the Prosecutor General of the country, called and requested a protective ring made by Hafizian for Mr. Rajaei. After the emergence of insecurity, such protective measures have become common, and most officials have acquired them, including myself.

In the afternoon, a guard came to ask me to perform the marriage ceremony formula. Mr. Seyyed Mahmoud Qomi came and complained about the mistreatment by the Revolutionary Guards and committees toward his household, along with some other personal matters.

Mr. Kamran came. We discussed employment for Mohammad Dost and Sayyad Shirazi. At five in the afternoon, I attended a meeting of the Supreme Defense Council. Reports were presented on the situation at the fronts, most of which are stagnant and awaiting a movement, as well as a plan to drive the enemy away from the outskirts of Abadan, negotiations with Pakistan, and the shortage of water in the Helmand River.