Iran president cancels CNN interview after Amanpour declines to wear headscarf
Christiane Amanpour, a veteran journalist, reported Thursday that an interview with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was canceled because he requested her to wear a headscarf, which has been the center of huge protests in the cleric-run state.
Amanpour, CNN’s chief international anchor who also has a show on PBS in the United States, said she was ready for the interview on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday when an aide urged her to cover her hair.
“I politely declined. We are in New York, where there is no law or tradition regarding headscarves,” Amanpour, who was born in Britain to an Iranian father, wrote on Twitter.
“I pointed out that no previous Iranian president has required this when I have interviewed them outside Iran,” she said. “I said that I couldn’t agree to this unprecedented and unexpected condition.”
Iran president cancels CNN interview after Amanpour declines to wear headscarf
She posted a picture of herself — without a headscarf — sitting in front of an empty chair where Raisi would have been.
A hardline cleric’s assistant told Amanpour that Raisi insisted on wearing a hijab due to “the situation in Iran,” she claimed.
Since the murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died after being imprisoned by morality police who enforce the clerics’ guidelines on how women dress, Iran has been swamped by nearly a week of protests.
According to a non-governmental organization, at least 31 Iranian people have been killed in the crackdown on the rallies, which have included women burning headscarves.
A slap from ebrahim raisi in new York general assembly.
The criminals should be punished .
Qasem Soleimani Always in our hearts 💖💖#qasimsoleimani #EbrahimRaisi #IranRevolution #NewYork #UNGA pic.twitter.com/JtxJQWFe6J— ERROR404🦋💖 🏴 (@313YaMehdi) September 21, 2022
