WALL – CNN television reporter Christiane Amanpour announced that her interview with Iranian President Ibrahim Reisi in New York was canceled after she refused her request to wear a headscarf.
“This would be the President’s first conversation on American soil during his visit to the UN General Assembly,” Amanpour said on Twitter. “After weeks of planning and eight hours of effort to install translation equipment, we were ready. But the President did not come.”
According to the news in BBC Turkish, 40 minutes after the scheduled time for the interview, an aide of Reisi asked him to wear a headscarf.
“I politely declined. We are in New York and there is no law or tradition regarding the hijab here. When I met with them outside of Iran, I said no Iranian President wants that,” Amanpour said.
Amanpour stated that if the assistant did not wear a headscarf, the interview would not take place, that it was a “respect matter” and that he talked about the “situation in Iran”, referring to the demonstrations.
“I said again that I would not accept this unprecedented and unexpected condition,” Christiane Amanpour said.
“As demonstrations continue in Iran and people are being killed, it would be an important moment to talk to the Presidential Chief,” Amanpour said.
His chief spoke on the CBS 60-minute program last week.
CBS reporter Leslie Gun explained that she was “instructed how to dress, not to sit until the Chieftain sits down, and not to interrupt the president.” (NEWS CENTER)