This week world leaders are gathering in New York for the 77th United Nations General Assembly.
This sort of clustering presents a golden opportunity for members of the media to interview hard-to-get subjects.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was one of those hard-to-get subjects—and CNN’s chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour was set to interview him while he was in Manhattan, a first on US soil.
A wave of protests has hit Iran’s capital Tehran this week after the death of Masha Amin, 22, who was arrested for wearing “unsuitable attire.”
According to a tweet thread Amanpour posted this morning, she said she wanted to talk to him about this and much more.
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. 1/7
— Christiane Amanpour (@amanpour) September 22, 2022
Unfortunately, the interview did not happen because the Iranian president wanted Amanpour to wear a headscarf during the interview.
Amanpour declined to wear the headscarf saying, “We are in New York, where there is no law or tradition regarding headscarves.”
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. 4/7
— Christiane Amanpour (@amanpour) September 22, 2022
Shortly after, the Iranian president’s aide said the interview would not proceed.
Amanpour, appearing on CNN’s New Day this morning, said with regards to wearing the headscarf, “I politely declined on behalf of myself, CNN and female journalists everywhere, because it is not a requirement.”
Protests in Iran are intensifying after a woman arrested for violating headscarf laws died in police custody. @amanpour has the story: pic.twitter.com/YGkKWoemR9
— New Day (@NewDay) September 22, 2022
This past Sunday, 60 Minutes’ Lesley Stahl interviewed President Raisi for the show’s season premiere. The interview, which was President Raisi’s first with a western reporter, shows Stahl wearing a headscarf, a customary practice for female journalists working within the country.
