Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – June 24, 1999

At eleven o'clock, I went to the Kushk office. The time until five o'clock in the afternoon was spent doing work and reading. In the evening at home, Dr. [Ahad] Milani-Nia had brought an engineer to repair the blood pressure monitor. Mohsen called from Mashhad to report that the Syrian Presidency, having learned of Effat's trip to Syria, requested that they be their guests; I accepted.

In the news, there is much debate and skepticism regarding the cause and circumstances surrounding Saeed Emami's suicide, as well as the press law reform bill and the heavy sentence handed down to Mr. [Gholamreza] Qobbeh. The attendance of hundreds of Ministry of Intelligence employees at the funeral and memorial service of Saeed Eslami [= Emami] has caused serious concern among the ministry's leadership, serving as a clear indication that many intelligence personnel have either not accepted the charges brought against the killers or agree with their methods.

In the meeting with the Supreme Leader, Mr. [Ali] Younesi, [Minister of Intelligence], anxiously identified the internal unrest within the Ministry as a danger, but the Supreme Leader did not consider the issue significant, stating that they [the perpetrators] had naturally sown seeds and placed operatives within the ministry, and that they must be identified.

In international news, the World Bank's opposition to a loan intended for Iran—influenced by the arrest of the 13 Jews in Shiraz—as well as the negative remarks made by [Mr. Martin Indyk], the US special envoy in the UAE, against Iran are drawing attention.