Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – March 25, 1996

Some of the companions went to Tehran, some stayed in Kish, and some flew with me toward Bandar Abbas. At Bandar Abbas Airport, after a welcome, we flew by helicopters of the Navy [= Navy of the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran] to Shahid Bahonar Port. To see the submarines we have recently bought from Russia—called the Kilo class—both of them are moored alongside the pier. We landed and went down into it through a narrow cylinder, like a well, with special stairs. Messrs. [Ali] Shamkhani, [Commander of the Navy], [Hossein] Mahlouji, [Minister of Mines and Metals], [Gholam-Reza] Aghazadeh, [Minister of Oil], and bodyguards were with me. For about an hour, we heard explanations in the different sections.

Inside the submarine, a compartment of about 14 × 7 × 54 cubic meters is empty and divided into several small rooms, all of them full of equipment. The engines, sonars, communications, firefighting, rest area, medical room, corridors, many coils and batteries, with a movement power of 17 nautical knots and a dive to a depth of more than 200 meters, with six torpedo tubes with a range of about 20 kilometers and a warhead of 300 kilograms, and 57 crew members, all of whom have been trained in Russia for sixteen months. The length of the outer hull is 74 meters. With extremely complex design and calculation, it is one of the wonders of the military industries; apparently the Soviets are ahead of the West in this industry.

Underwater, its detection is very difficult for the enemy, and it is a very serious danger for the enemy forces. Each was bought for 130 million dollars—delivered at Bandar Abbas. There are shortcomings in the contract that we must complete for future procurements. The batteries, which are foreign-currency-intensive and consumable, we have recently started making ourselves. They had requests to complete their place in Chabahar and also to buy some items, such as paint and oil. Between the outer and inner hulls there are empty spaces filled with numerous water tanks, used for diving and surfacing and maintaining balance.

From there we flew to Qeshm Island. On the way we visited the ferromanganese factory under construction and two small earth dams. At the site of the heavy industries development, we landed for the groundbreaking of the aluminum factory. It belongs to the private sector, with a capacity of 200 thousand tons ultimately and 33 thousand tons in the first phase. Explanations were given by its manager, Mr. Hamzeh-Pour. The machinery is second-hand and was bought from Czechoslovakia at a low price. It will be commissioned by the end of this year. The managing director of a Chinese company also gave explanations about investing about 300 million dollars in several production units of copper, ferromanganese, and zinc, which is interesting. Mr. Mahlouji, [Minister of Mines and Metals], also spoke, and I too in a short speech offered encouragement.

We flew toward Qeshm International Airport. On the way we visited several earth dams and villages of Qeshm. With the explanations of Mr. [Behrouz] Bushehri, [Managing Director of the Qeshm Free Zone], they have built more than 30 small dams and barriers to collect seasonal waters, and they build five more barriers every year; it is valuable work, and this year, when about 500 millimeters of rain has fallen, all the barriers are full and the island is green and flourishing. If it rains for a few years like this year, the island's situation will change. The airport runway is more than four kilometers long and has been built with many ancillary buildings.

We went to the mangrove forest region. We moved about in the channels and creeks by boats. At one point we got off in the forest. They are interesting bushes and trees; very extensive and with much growth in salt water, which is used for animal and shrimp feed. They are rapidly growing across the island; it is a huge wealth.

We flew to the old airport. We went to the residence. After prayers, lunch, and a rest, in the afternoon we saw the artificial settlements. They are rapidly preparing the land and building. They build the land with water, electricity, and sewage for less than ten thousand tomans. Then we went to a place they are preparing for a beach resort and saw a place called "Shah Shahid," which, according to a legend, they say was a person of dignity who disappeared and the place became holy.

We went to the biotechnology industries site—which Mrs. [Nasrin] Moazami has established. She gave good explanations about the production of [artificial] bone from sea coral, for bone grafting in surgery; it takes the place of a bone graft. Four types of the Persian Gulf's corals out of its 29 types have this property, and it is a source of huge wealth; also the production of anti-cancer medicine from corals, and the production of vitamins from sea algae, and the production and cultivation of a type of microbe to preserve water and moisture in agricultural land in high-evaporation regions, which, if it succeeds, is a revolution in agriculture.

Dr. Hakemi gave explanations and spoke of an important medical complex that is being built at the level of the highest international standards, to train and attract high-level personnel. Five hundred hectares of land have been allocated for them, including for the identification and production of medicinal plants.

We went to the barracks of the Revolutionary Guards Navy. We visited the radar center that controls the Strait of Hormuz. For every ship that enters, they obtain its specifications and destination, and they have a large number of vessels for patrolling and good forces. It is a sensitive and important place. We visited their dormitory; it was very good and clean.

We went to the industrial development. More than a hundred units are active. I visited a sewing unit. The building is still half-finished, but they have started their work. I asked the workers for explanations; it turned out that if they work about fifteen hours a day, they can earn five to six thousand tomans in wages. They import fabric from South Korea. They sew various types of clothing, either export them or send them into [the country] through travelers. We returned to the residence tired. I had said my prayers in that same workshop. After dinner I went to sleep.