Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – November 19, 1997

Mr. [Syed Hossein] Mousavian, our ambassador in Germany, along with Dr. [Iraj] Yazdan Bakhsh and Dr. Nadimi, came from the [Community of Iranian Professors and Specialists] living in Germany. They explained about the plan to establish an advanced city and research center in the Ardestan desert of Kashan [= Khodashahr plan] with the facilities of Iranians abroad; I welcomed It turned out that some land was introduced to them by the governor there.

Mr. [Mohammedreza] Abbasifar, the deputy head of the judiciary, came. He appreciated the help to himself as well as my role in the revolution and asked us to take action to improve the judiciary and the Guardian Council and eliminate their shortcomings.

Mr. [Masoud] Karbasian, the new vice president of commercial affairs of the Ministry of Oil, came. He said about his services in the Ministry of Commerce, with my policies and support, and about his program in the new post. I emphasized that they should use the good and cheap resources of China and Russia for the equipment and parts of the oil industry more and create competition between them and the West, and I also requested that the case of irregularities in the purchase and storage program of the Ministry of Oil and the special inspection [of the President] should be investigated, addressed and the problems resolved.

Mr. Dori [Najafabadi] and Mr. Falah from the Ministry of Information announced that today a huge gathering of people and students has been organized in the Grand Mosque and the courtyards and surroundings at the invitation of the community of teachers and the administration of the school, to support the leadership and suppress the movement of Mr. Montazeri and Azari [Qami].

After Mr. [Abdullah] Javadi Amoli's speech, people attacked Ayatollah Montazeri's office and occupied Hosseiniyeh and the office, and they shouted harsh and insulting slogans. Then they did the same thing with the office of Mr. Azari [Qomi]. Mr. Montazeri is not willing to leave the house and they are worried about the future events.

In the evening, Dr. [Hassan] Rouhani came and said that in the secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council, it was approved to the extent of public gatherings and demonstrations, but the seizure of the office and the attack on their center and the involvement of the IRGC, etc., were not agreed upon. It is said that they have gone from Isfahan and Tehran for actions and the leadership office says that it has nothing to do with them. Mr. [Syed Abd al-Karim] Mousavi Ardabili sent a message by phone to stop these irregularities.

Mr. [Abdullah] Nouri, the minister of the country, told Mohsen that today Mr. [Ibrahim] Amini and [Syed Hassan] Taheri Khorramabadi and... from the community of teachers [of the Qom seminary], met with Ayatollah Montazeri and asked him to stop opposing the leadership, which they did not accept and said that they considered it a religious duty.

We talked with Mr. [Hassan] Rouhani about the way to launch the new building of the Strategic Research Center and the future problems of the system. Dr. Rouhani said that Sardar [Aziz] Jafari, one of the cadres of the Revolutionary Guards Center, managed the events around Mr. Montazeri's house, and Mr. Dori said, two buses of people have come from Isfahan.