Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – May 25, 1982

At 7:30, the open session of [the Islamic Consultative Assembly] began. Before the agenda, I spoke about the significance of the victory in Khorramshahr and gave a friendly reminder to the countries supporting Iraq. The Water Bill was under discussion during this session. After the break, I handed the session over to Mr. [Mousavi] Khoeiniha and handled tasks in my office.

At night, I stayed at Parliament and listened to the news. I obtained news from the front; it became clear that more than fourteen thousand Iraqis have been taken prisoner in Khorramshahr. After the encirclement of Khorramshahr, most of them surrendered, and in the entire region, the enemy remains only beside the bridge built over the Arvand Rud at the entrance of the Khin River, protecting the bridge; our combatants' efforts to capture that spot have not been successful.

At 11:30, I picked up the Persian news from Voice of America. They acknowledge the greatness of our victory and instill fear of us in the [Persian] Gulf countries. Both the radio and American newspapers are pursuing this same line. Other Western mass media have also conceded. Only Iraq itself and some of the countries south of the Persian Gulf refuse to acknowledge it.