Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – May 22, 1983

I went to the Majlis early in the morning. I had breakfast at the Majlis and read the reports. In the open session, the bill [defining the duties and organization] of the [National] Security Council was under discussion. The Guardian Council does not accept councils and general assemblies that make decisions; because the responsible individual has no accountability to the Majlis; therefore, the Security Council has been turned into an advisory council and decision-making has been assigned to the Ministry of Interior. Later, the same thing will happen to the Supreme Council of Education and the Supreme Economic Council and the other councils as well, and this will strengthen management in one respect, but it will weaken the councils; except for what is provided for in the Constitution.

At noon, a group of Majlis employees came and complained about the failure to implement the new law that would raise their salaries. A group of miscellaneous individuals who run a group of war refugees and have had a dispute with the Foundation for War Victims came to complain. I told them to go and coordinate. Mr. [Abbas-Ali] Akhtari, the representative from Mashhad, came and brought a report from Kurdistan and the Iraqi front. He said that on the Marivan border, the Basijis are alone in the trenches; there is neither the Revolutionary Guard nor the army. Supplies are also inadequate.

In the afternoon, Mr. [Asadollah] Badamchian came and complained about the conduct of his opposing faction at the congress [of the Islamic Republic Party] and the government's pressure on bazaar merchants; especially concerning the members of the board of directors of the Carpet Company, whose case has been sent to court by the Imam's Order Follow-up Headquarters. The participants in the Jihad seminar came, and I gave them an extensive speech. I made some remarks on the sidelines of Imam's statements today. Imam has strongly attacked the complainers, those who make claims while doing little, and slogan-chanters, especially the Majlis representatives who, from the Majlis podium, are causing the executive branch, the Revolution, and the president to be weakened.  

We had a meeting of the Central Council of the [Islamic Republic] Party - the first meeting of the new council -. We elected [Ayatollah] Mr. Khamenei as the [Party's] secretary-general. There was discussion about the members of the Council of Jurists, a new institution established at the congress. Mr. [Seyyed Asadollah] Lajevardi [Prosecutor of the Islamic Revolution of the Central District] gave a report on the new situation of the hypocrites.

At night, we had a meeting with the top [country] officials. The prime minister reported that Western sources had become willing to provide sophisticated arms needs- for example, Harbin-. It was decided that, following the previous practice by which we secretly obtained our needs from non-governmental sources in America- for example, independent companies-, we would receive them while maintaining our anti-American stance; because most of our weapons are American and naturally we obtain their parts and ammunition from wherever we can; except Israel. The expulsion of three more Russian spies was discussed as retaliation. It was decided that, for the time being, in order to avoid further confrontation and prevent the Russians from creating trouble, we would refrain from doing so. The conditions for peace were also discussed in light of the new mediation efforts; they are coming from India, and the Gulf [Persian] Cooperation Council will also come again. It was decided that the same previous conditions would be repeated. We were guests of the president for dinner. I came home late at night.