Hawzah News Agency- In the early years after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran dispatched delegations to various countries to explain the revolution's message and the developments of the imposed war. One such delegation traveled to Yemen and was met with broad popular and political reception.
The following account is drawn from the memoirs of Mohammad Javad Sahebi, published by the Center for Islamic Revolution Documents.
A Mission to Yemen and Saudi Arabia
In the first years after the revolution, some countries grew wary of Iran. Heavy propaganda against Iran distorted the facts and barred Iranian messaging. Our own institutions were still weak: the Foreign Ministry had not yet been staffed by revolutionary forces familiar with diplomatic work, and the cultural apparatus of the Ministry of Culture was shut down, with no cultural attachés in place. It felt as though nothing was being done internationally.
Officials thus decided to convey the revolution's message and war developments across the borders through various means. A council was formed, including the author, to organize delegations. Officials were tasked with traveling for 10 to 15 days around the February 1981 anniversary to countries abroad. Ayatollah Khamenei led a group to India, Seyyed Mohammad Khamenei went to China, and Rabbani-Amlashi to Algeria, among others.
Our team was assigned to Yemen and Saudi Arabia. The head of our delegation was Gholamhossein Haqqani, who was later martyred in the bombing of the Islamic Republic Party headquarters. Mohammad Mohammadi-Iraqi was a member, and Taha Hashemi, who had recently married Haqqani's daughter, handled logistics. A talented 18- or 19-year-old named Basem Shariatmadar, of Iraqi origin and fluent in both Arabic and Persian, was also present.
Arrival in Syria
We traveled with other delegations as far as Syria, where our paths diverged. Upon landing in Syria at dusk, we noticed Dr. Soroush was missing. I found him performing his prayers. When the others suggested we eat at the airport, Soroush declined, noting the alcohol bottles in the shops. The rest of us followed his lead, and we ate at the hotel instead. After visiting the shrine of Hazrat Zainab (PBUH), we departed for Sanaa, the Yemeni capital.
A Grand Reception in Sanaa
Given the prestige of the revolution, Iranian delegations were treated as high-ranking guests everywhere. Upon arrival at Sanaa airport, senior Yemeni political officials came to welcome us. Our ambassador there, Abdollah Jahanbin, was a holdover from the Shah's regime. They had arranged accommodation for us, but Martyr Haqqani insisted we stay at the embassy — a move they found unusual.
The embassy bore no signs of the revolution. Iran's ambassador to Yemen — a country whose majority is Zaidi Shia — was a Sunni Kurd. We wished to see the city freely, but this was unacceptable to them. Sometimes a companion would take the embassy car as a driver, and a protocol guard would inevitably accompany us, making our work difficult. The driver would mischievously take routes that caused them to lose us.
One day we took the embassy servant's son, a boy of seven or eight, along. Asked about the revolution and the war, he said there was no news of such things there. Only two or three days earlier, when it was announced a delegation would arrive, had they put up a few pictures of the Imam inside the embassy and raised Iran's flag. It was clear the embassy had done nothing for the revolution there, and we had no cultural attaché.
We requested opportunities to speak in various venues — universities, schools, and institutions. Haqqani, as delegation spokesman, spoke about the revolution and the war, and their press published his remarks.
Sanaa seemed very underdeveloped for a capital. Despite Yemen being a large country, its urban development was rudimentary; some streets were unpaved and alleys filled with refuse.
Pictures of Imam Khomeini Embraced in Sanaa Mosque
At noon we went to one of the city's mosques. When people realized we were Iranian, they showed great emotion. When some of our companions took out pictures of the Imam and showed them — even though pictures are considered forbidden inside the mosque and none were displayed — they made an exception for the Imam. Dozens of hands reached out for a single picture, and they kissed our hands, faces, and foreheads.
One man said bringing pictures into the mosque is not permissible. Another young man replied: "This is an exception — Khomeini is from the family of Ali ibn Abi Talib." The Zaidi Shias hold deep devotion to Imam Ali (PBUH).
Meeting with Ali Abdullah Saleh
We had received no briefing or training for such trips and were unfamiliar with international norms and diplomatic relations. When it was proposed that we meet President Ali Abdullah Saleh, we declined, saying we did not accept meetings with heads of state. Only Haqqani, as delegation head, and one or two others met him. We had not discussed any negotiations within the delegation, and we believed any talks should first be raised and approved before a meeting took place.
Meeting with Sheikh Zabara
One program was a meeting with Sheikh Zabara, the great Zaidi sheikh — their mufti and promoter. The old man, nearing eighty, was reluctant to speak because of an intelligence officer's presence. He gestured for the officer to leave, but the officer stayed. Eventually Martyr Haqqani sternly ordered him out.
Sheikh Zabara said this would have consequences for him and he would later be questioned about what he wanted to say that required the officer's absence. He opened his heart: "We live here under a bigoted Sunni government. Our jurisprudential independence has been lost, we follow Hanafi jurisprudence, and in many of our rituals we are forced to obey government orders. Harsh conditions prevail over us, and even our books are not permitted to be published in Yemen."
He was fond of Iran and had apparently met Ayatollah Shariatmadari during a trip to Iran.
Friday Prayer
Yemen's people were at a low cultural and economic level, but their hearts were with Iran's revolution and they were extraordinarily fond of the Imam personally. In every mosque or gathering we attended, the people's passion was so intense that we sometimes feared being trampled. The only thing that could ease the crowd's pressure was scattering pictures of the Imam.
Because it had been announced that the Iranian delegation would attend Friday prayer, a huge crowd gathered that day in the courtyard of the Grand Mosque and surrounding streets. Special forces and armored personnel carriers were deployed to protect the Iranian delegation. Since Yemenis are Zaidi Shia, they shared a religious affinity with Iranians. They place great importance on an Imam who rises with the sword and initiates revolutionary movement.
Our trip to Yemen lasted about a week or a bit more. During our stay in North Yemen, several delegation members went to South Yemen and carried out activities there. We then left Yemen for Saudi Arabia.
Source: The memoirs of Mohammad Javad Sahebi, Center for Islamic Revolution Documents
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