Hossein Kermanpour, head of the Health Ministry’s Public Relations and Information Center, said on May 18 at a gathering of public relations offices from the country’s executive bodies titled “Narrators of Iran”: “The narrative of the health sector is an extremely difficult one. I am speaking about events beginning at February 28. We were at the Health Ministry when we received a call informing us that areas around Pasteur had been bombed and that the war had officially begun.”
First account; the bombing near Pasteur
He continued, “we were told that both the area around Pasteur, meaning the office of Pezeshkian and members of the government, and the residence of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution had been attacked. Zafarghandi, the Health Minister, immediately called and asked whether any injured or wounded individuals had been brought in, and I said that up to that moment, none had arrived. Zafarghandi set off on a motorcycle toward Sina Hospital. If you recall, the streets suddenly descended into chaos that day. I do not know for what reason, but the roads were practically blocked. Around noon, they informed us that the Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei would be brought to Sina Hospital.”
The head of the Health Ministry’s Public Relations and Information Center added, “for us, this was good news because it meant the Leader of the Islamic Revolution was alive. But at the same time, it created anxiety over how we should shape the narrative. The concern was for the public relations teams, how were we supposed to build the narrative? All over the world, narratives were being constructed. For us, it was extremely difficult work.”
Fortunately, nothing serious had happened to Leader
He went on to say, “the operating room was prepared; our colleagues heard about it, and we have spoken about it many times. The necessary measures were taken. Fortunately, nothing serious had happened to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution. Naturally, anyone present at the site of such an incident would sustain several wounds on their body. These wounds were not of the kind that would disfigure the face of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, nor did they result in disabilities, amputations, or injuries like those suffered by our martyred Imam. It was nothing of that nature. A few stitches were applied to the wounds. One of the areas that was immediately decided would require stitches was his leg.”
Kermanpour added, “as I speak about this now, I do not know how many of you will believe these words. Choosing who would perform the stitches, who would stand inside the operating room as a witness, these were exceptional matters. Even speaking about this now is difficult work. Some say, ‘Why did you say this?’ Others say, ‘Why did you describe it this way?’ I want to say that in the realm of narrative and storytelling, the work is extremely difficult. The beginning of the Third War started with the martyrdom of the Leader. At that time, Agha Mojtaba had not yet assumed the position of Leader and was the son of the martyred Leader of the Revolution.”
Second account; shock in Minab
He then recounted another story from his trip to the Strait of Hormuz and his meeting with the families of the martyred schoolchildren of Minab, saying, “Our second account was the story of traveling to the Strait of Hormuz during the height of the incidents. I traveled there by train with my family. The moment I entered the city of Minab, I was suddenly shocked. Every billboard in the city carried images of martyred schoolchildren and young kids. I looked at my daughter and saw tears in her eyes. It was the first city in Iran where every billboard was dedicated to children. Right there, I said, “if America bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki with nuclear weapons and that crime became eternally associated with America, then America’s Hiroshima in Iran is Minab.”
We must not relent in confronting America
He further stressed, “we must not let go of America. America has always claimed everywhere that it is the cradle of democracy, then how did you create another Hiroshima in Iran? From this point onward, the pens of all those in the West who wish to write about democracy will be broken.”
Third account; torrential rainfall in Bandar Abbas
Kermanpour added, “my third account concerns the torrential rainfall in Bandar Abbas, where according to reports, the entire province had been overwhelmed by floodwaters. I had never seen such rainfall before. When we entered the martyrs’ cemetery, all the graves had sunk and collapsed downward. People had gathered over the graves. It was as though the mothers of Minab believed their children were sleeping beneath the water. A mother still does not feel that her child has been martyred; she feels her child is still in the water.”
Visit the 92 injured students of Minab
He continued, “anyone who goes to Minab visits the martyred students, but there are also 92 injured students there. I urge you to go and tell their stories. At Minab Hospital, we created one such narrative: “we found a nurse whose child was at the Minab school, yet when faced with the choice between remaining to serve the wounded or going in search of her own child, she chose service. She stayed until her child was brought in. Thank God, her child was safe.”
NOURNEWS