Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - December 12, 2002

Today, we had snow and rain in Tehran and most parts of the country, and it is still continuing. The BBC is focusing on the letter from [Ghasem] Sholeh Sa'di, [Lawyer and former representative of Shiraz], to the Leader, and the response from Kayhan [newspaper].

Full Diary Entry (Context: Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - December 12, 2002)

I worked in the Koushak office until four in the afternoon. I read the indictment for the defendants of the Ayandeh Institute. It is not good for the Second Khordad faction; it exposes Western conspiracies in Iran.

The BBC [Persian service] is focusing on the letter from [Ghasem] Sholeh Sa'di, [Lawyer and former representative of Shiraz], to the Leader, and the response from Kayhan [newspaper]. In that letter, Sholeh Sa'di questioned the legitimacy of the Leadership, believing that he lacked the condition of Marja'iyyat (source of emulation) in the first temporary selection, neglecting the fact that the selection was based on the personal opinion of the Imam regarding the removal of the Marja'iyyat condition. Mr. [Hossein] Shariatmadari in Kayhan [newspaper] responded that the intention was the competence for leadership, which he possessed even at that time, but Sholeh Sa'di denied this in an interview with the BBC, arguing that the Imam had addressed him with the title Hojjat-ul-Islam at that time. However, it is clear that the goal is to manipulate the sanctity and credibility of the Leadership and the position of Wilayat (Guardianship of the Jurist).

In the US, [George Tenet], the head of the CIA, issued a serious warning that al-Qaeda is planning widespread destructive measures, and George W. Bush, [President], announced that if weapons of mass destruction are used against the US, the US will use nuclear weapons in response. This unprecedented and strange threat by the US has drawn the attention of political circles worldwide. Some believe it is directed at Iraq, which might be considering the use of biological and chemical weapons in self-defense, which is likely not the case.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the ship that collided with a US aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf was an Iranian oil tanker. Although the Ministry of Oil had previously denied it, it was explained that since the oil tanker was not damaged and continued on its way, it saw no need to report it.

The action by Spain and the US in seizing and releasing the missile-carrying ship destined for Yemen has drawn criticism from global circles, and the possibility has also strengthened that the attack on the French oil tanker in recent weeks was the work of the US to provoke other Western countries.

In Afghanistan, 15 rockets were fired at US military centers in three provinces, causing damage. In Kabul, about 20 mysterious murders have occurred in recent days, causing fear among the people.