Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – July 3, 1988

I went to the parliament at half past six in the morning and did office work until eight o'clock. Then I went to the parliament and was in the meeting until half past nine. I returned to my office.

Mr. [Brigadier Mansour [Satari], Commander of the Air Force of the Army] informed that an Iranian Airbus plane had an accident over the Strait of Hormuz and made an emergency landing in the sea, and we do not know its fate. Immediately, Mr. Shamkhani informed that the IRGC Navy says that it has engaged with American ships and helicopters, one of our boats and an American helicopter have sunk, and the American ship has shot down the passenger plane that arrived at the same time with a missile. Subsequent reports confirmed the report of the IRGC. It is a strange crime. 290 passengers and crew have been martyred. I told them to announce immediately so that the Americans do not get ahead of the announcement.

Mehdi and Yaser came. They got help for needy warriors. Mehdi and Mohammad Hashemian and the children of Ashikh Hossein [Hashemian], along with Mr. Amini, the commander of the diving battalion, came from Rafsanjan. They expressed opinions about the war. Amini is a brave man. His two brothers have been martyred and he himself has been injured many times and Mahdi is also injured. He was injured in Shalamcheh.

In the evening, they came from the 10th army of Seyyed al-Shohada. They applied for cars and finances. Mr. [Sidjamal] Sadatian came. He reported on his trip to South Korea and said that the Koreans are ready for military cooperation. We had a meeting with a group of representatives who had questions and suggestions about the war. This meeting lasted two or three hours. I worked in my office until nine o'clock and then I came home.