CNN interview with Iran President Ebrahim Raisi scrapped over headscarf demand
- News anchor Christiane Amanpour says she refused when an aide insisted she cover her hair because of ‘the situation in Iran’
- The country has been swept by hijab-burning protests since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after her arrest by the morality police
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Veteran journalist Christiane Amanpour said on Thursday that an interview with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was scrapped after he insisted she wear a headscarf, the focus of major protests in the cleric-run state.
Amanpour, the chief international anchor of CNN who also has a show on US public broadcaster PBS, said she was ready for the interview on Wednesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly when an aide insisted she 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.”
She posted a picture of herself – without a headscarf – sitting in front of an empty chair where Raisi would have been.
An aide to Raisi, a hardline cleric, told Amanpour that he was insisting on a headscarf because of “the situation in Iran”, she said.
Iran has been swept by nearly a week of protests since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died after being arrested by morality police that enforce the clerics’ rules on how women dress.
A non-governmental group said that at least 31 Iranian civilians have been killed in the crackdown on the protests, in which women have been seen burning headscarves.
Iran’s president dismisses criticism as street protests turn deadly
Raisi said on Thursday that “acts of chaos” were not acceptable, in a warning to protesters.
Speaking at a news conference in New York, Raisi added he had ordered an investigation into Amini’s case.
“There is freedom of expression in Iran … but acts of chaos are unacceptable,” he said.
02:32
Iranian women join hijab-burning protest after Mahsa Amini dies while in ‘morality police’ custody
Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards called on the judiciary to prosecute “those who spread false news and rumours”, in an apparent bid to take the steam out of nationwide demonstrations.
The United States on Thursday sanctioned Iran’s morality police, accusing them of abuse and violence against Iranian women and of violating the rights of peaceful Iranian protesters, the US Treasury said.
Additional reporting by Reuters
