Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 5, 1984

Early in the morning on the way to the Majlis, I visited the Tehran International Exhibition. They are busy preparing the booths - for a few days to be opened with the company of 37 countries. I visited the warehouse of antiques and valuables of Mustafafan Foundation; It is very strange and huge. These kinds of goods have been collected from the houses of the agents of the Shah's regime, whose properties have been confiscated. There are thousands of pieces of exquisite objects, some of which are antique and expensive and can fill several museums. It has been preserved until now and one should think about their future. Some of them should be sold and some should be kept in museums. Salable items are supposed to be the support of Mustafafan Foundation buildings.

At eight in the morning, I went to my office. A group from the West came and spoke in favor of Mr. Zarandi against his opponents, and they also complained about Mr. [Mohammed Ali] Mohadi Kermani, the Friday imam. In the West, two conservative and radical currents differ. [Members] of the organizing committee for the war week came. They reported the work and programs and I also expressed my opinions.

The deputy commanders of the ground forces came. They gave a report about the newly established "Quds" battalions, which is interesting; They have fifty-three battalions in the field, which are composed of cautious people. The commander of the officer school said that there are very few candidates [for the officer course] - due to the problems of education and the low salary of the soldiers - and it does not meet the needs of the country. Mr. Kamran suggested Colonel Hashemi regarding the [responsibility of] army intelligence.

Mr. Behzad Nabavi came with Mr. [Mohammad Amin] Sogagara. He explained the story of his arrest and release. He has been interrogated in connection with the explosion of the prime minister's building. Then, according to Imam's order, they were released with two or three other people. It is decided that the interrogation [of the accused in the case] should be done in an environment outside [of the prison] that does not have the smell of gang activity and political movement and that the officials are not defamed at their expense. Mr. [Ahmed] Tawakli came. He had suggestions regarding the statutes of Mustafafan Foundation housing company. The glasses maker came to measure my glasses.

In the evening, I participated in the Supreme Defense Council meeting. The discussion was mostly about the restoration of military personnel's rights. Then we had a meeting with the commanders of the army and ground forces and the president. We discussed the plans of Mr. Mohsen Rezaei and Sayad [Shirazi] for the last time, and finally Mohsen [Rezaei's] plan was accepted. According to Sayad's suggestion and the Imam's agreement, Mohsen was appointed as the operation commander and Sayad acted as his deputy. But only we know about this decision. Sayad was upset that this result was obtained by his own suggestion, but he accepted; Let's see what will happen. For a long time, there have been rumors of a large and aggressive operation, and the media has analyzed and speculated about it, and troops have gone to the front as such.

Then a meeting of the heads of forces was held with the presence of Ahmad Agha and [Ali Akbar Velayati] the Minister of Foreign Affairs. It was discussed about the [sale] of oil [to] Syria, which does not comply with the contract. We agreed to give two months for payment and if they don't pay, we will stop exporting oil.

There was a discussion about the situation of Mr. Dr. [Mahmoud] Kashani in The Hague, who has a conflict with other judges, in the presence of Mr. [Goders] Iftikhar Jahrami. The Prime Minister is planning to remove Mr. Kashani and it was claimed that he is involved and the Prime Minister can remove him. It was decided to object to Monez's letter regarding the appointment of an arbitrator [in place of Dr. Mahmoud Kashani] and the threat to elect the president. Try to reach a compromise regarding the claims of the oil consortium. The President's trip to Syria, Libya and Algeria was also discussed. I came home late.