Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - November 23, 2001

Tehran's Friday Prayers Led by Hashemi
Improvement in rainfall, according to Habibullah Neutral, Minister of Energy
Full text of the diary:
We had rain in Tehran and many other parts of the country. [Mr. Habibollah Neutral], the Minister of Energy, announced that the rainfall in November was better than usual in previous years. In the Friday prayers, I talked about the conflicts between the groups and the issues of Palestine and Afghanistan, and in particular, I gave an explanation of the defeat of the British in 1841 and their massacre, and I said that they should learn from the past and not think about bringing military forces to Afghanistan.  
In Afghanistan, in Kunduz, Maidan Shahr, and Kandahar, clashes are continuing, and the Americans are also bombing sporadically. Mullah Omar has handed over the command of the armed forces to his deputy [Mullah] Akhtar [Mohammad] Osman, and they say that he has gone to an unknown place and [Osama] bin Laden, [the leader of al-Qaeda], has set a reward in retaliation for killing [George] Bush, the president of the United States. Previously, the United States had offered a $25 million reward for bin Laden's capture.  
In the Turkish parliament, there is talk of cutting off the Euphrates water to Syria because of the drought, which if implemented, will lead to a crisis. There are concerns about the agreement between Russia and the United States against the interests of the countries of the region, and during his recent visit to the United States, he was warmly welcomed and stayed on Bush's private farm. 
The children were gathered at Iftar and with the help of Effat, who had no servants, I set the table.