NEW YORK – Well-known CNN reporter Christiane Amanpour assured Thursday that the interview she had scheduled with Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, was suspended because she refused to cover her head with a scarf, as requested by the president’s aides Iranian, a country where women are forced to cover their hair.
As Amanpour wrote in a chain of tweets, the request to cover her hair was made by an aide to the president when the interview was already 40 minutes behind schedule.
The episode takes on particular relevance for the unrest that various regions of Iran are experiencing right now due to the issue of the Islamic veil, which is mandatory for all women in open spaces.
Protests broke out in Iran last Friday – in which at least six people have already died – after learning of the death in police custody of Mahsa Amin, who had been arrested by the Moral Police for badly wearing a veil; In the protests, women were seen taking off their veils in unprecedented public images.
The American reporter wrote that the Iranian official had made it clear to her that the interview would not have taken place if she had not worn a scarf.
“He said it was a ‘matter of respect’ and he referred to the ‘situation in Iran’ alluding to the protests in the country,” the interviewer said.
Amanpour added that he “kindly” refused, writing: “We are in New York, where there is no law or tradition regarding the veil. I pointed out that no previous Iranian president had asked for this when I interviewed him outside of Iran. “.
“Once again I said that I could not accept this unexpected and unprecedented condition, so I left and the interview did not take place,” said the host, who acknowledges that “it would be an important time to speak with the President Raisi “who is in New York on the occasion of the United Nations General Assembly which began last Tuesday.
The information professional also indicated that the interview had been scheduled for several weeks and that the preparation of the set had taken eight hours.
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