Ebrahim Raisi withdrew from a long-planned interview with Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s lead foreign anchor, at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday when she refused to wear a head scarf, the subject of significant protest in the cleric-run state, at the last minute.
According to a non-governmental organisation, the crackdown on the protests, where women have been seen burning headscarves, has resulted in the deaths of at least 31 Iranian people.
Amanpour said in a string of tweets posted on Thursday that she was prepared for the interview on Wednesday outside the UN General Assembly until Raisi’s assistant asked she conceal her hair.
However, the journalist declined, stating that they were in New York and not his nation.
She also shared a picture of herself without a headscarf, seated in front of Raisi’s vacant chair.
Raisi’s assistant informed Amanpour that Raisi was insisting on a headscarf due to “the situation in Iran,” she said.
Her tweets read;
“Protests are sweeping Iran and women are burning their hijabs after the death last week of Mahsa Amini, following her arrest by the ‘morality police’. Human rights groups say at least 8 have been killed. Last night, I planned to ask President Raisi about all this and much more.
“This was going to be President Raisi’s first ever interview on US soil, during his visit to NY for UNGA. After weeks of planning and eight hours of setting up translation equipment, lights and cameras, we were ready. But no sign of President Raisi… 40 minutes after the interview had been due to start, an aide came over. The president, he said, was suggesting I wear a headscarf because it’s the holy months of Muharram and Safar.
“I politely declined. We are in New York, where there is no law or tradition regarding headscarves. I pointed out that no previous Iranian president has required this when I have interviewed them outside Iran.
“The aide made it clear that the interview would not happen if I did not wear a headscarf. He said it was ‘a matter of respect,’ and referred to ‘the situation in Iran’ – alluding to the protests sweeping the country.
“Again, I said that I couldn’t agree to this unprecedented and unexpected condition.”
