Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – June 16, 1982

I stayed home until the afternoon, reading and following up on matters by phone. Reports indicate that the ceasefire in Lebanon is not solid and clashes continue. In the afternoon, we held a Board of Directors meeting. The schedule for the coming week was drawn up, and we approved transferring a plot of land from the old National Consultative Assembly to the Martyr Motahhari Higher School for building classrooms. A quantity of gold and jewelry donated to support the war effort had arrived, which I handed over to Mr. [Morteza] Ketiraei [parliamentary administrator].

I had a meeting with Captain [Bahram] Afzali, the Commander of the Navy. He is concerned about the friction he has developed with Hezbollah elements within the force and raised accusations against them.

I met with Mr. [Seyyed Ali Akbar] Mohtashamipur, Iran's ambassador to Damascus, who advocated taking our participation in the war [between Lebanon and Israel] seriously. He provided a report on the situation there. [Mr. Ashrafi Esfahani] the Friday Prayer Leader of Bakhtaran came with a group of representatives, complaining about the lack of attention to the province's needs. The guild branch of the Islamic Republican Party came and expressed dissatisfaction with Mr. Behzad Nabavi's ministry and my defense of him, to which I offered explanations.

We held a meeting with the heads of government at the President's office and discussed Palestine and the Middle East. It was agreed that we would raise the matter with Syria and subsequently with the countries of the Steadfastness Front. For this purpose, it was decided that a delegation should go to Syria. Mr. [Mohsen] Rafighdoost and Mr. [Ebrahim] Hemmat had returned from Lebanon. They explained the situation there and expressed hope for the success of the Lebanese forces. At night, I went to Parliament, and Mehdi was with me.