Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – June 10, 2003

Mr. Saleh bin Humaid, the head of the Shura Council of Saudi Arabia, and his companions came. We discussed Palestine, Iraq, al-Qaeda, Afghanistan, the invasions by America, and cooperation among Islamic countries.

Mr. Mohammad Ali Mazidi, the son of the late Ismail Mazidi, came. His father was one of my close friends from my student days in Qom. He spoke about his own problems and those of his family. He is also a chemical-weapons veteran of the Imposed War.

Mr. Abolfazl Rahnama, our new ambassador to Hungary, came to say goodbye. He said that now the body of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has realized the depth of past policies and regrets it. He said that the sentence you said in the Friday prayer sermon to Tony Blair, the British Prime Minister — that he speaks black words with a white shirt — has been analyzed and praised by experts. He recounted memories of his late father. Before the revolution, when I went to Arak to give sermons, I stayed at their house. The head of SAVAK came to threaten me for my fiery sermons. After the threat, I answered him: 'Whether we praise Imam Hussein (AS) and the Imams, or if we speak ill of Shamer and Yazid, both are bitter for your government, so what should we say?' His father had recounted at home that the head of SAVAK was bewildered and exasperated by this answer.

In the afternoon, Mr. Mohammad Jafari Gilani and Taha Hashemi came. They complained about the board of directors of the Islamic Propaganda Office of Qom and sought help to resolve the issue.

We had a meeting at the Leader's office regarding the nuclear issue, the Board of Governors, and the pressure being exerted to accept the Additional Protocol 2+93. After two hours of discussion, we concluded that we should enter the negotiations with a positive approach, with a policy of buying time and setting suitable conditions. My help was effective; otherwise, they could not have convinced the Leader. At night, I was a guest of the Leader. We discussed the Friday prayer and its transfer to the Tehran prayer grounds, the letter from 127 members of parliament, the twin bills, the Islamic Propaganda Office of Qom, Iraq, and America.

In Palestine today, Israel attacked a car carrying a Hamas spokesman, Mr. Abdul Aziz Rantisi, with a helicopter, wounding him and martyring two others. The people held massive protests at the funerals and vowed revenge. They martyred three more people by helicopter. In a martyrdom operation by three fighters from a group at an Israeli soldiers' post, four were killed and a number wounded, and Israel was wounded like a wolf. Furthermore, with the stances of Hamas and several other groups, the roadmap peace plan has encountered problems, and Abu Mazen, the Palestinian Prime Minister, is under severe criticism