This is why Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi 'cancelled' interview with CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour

CNN’s Christiane Amanpour tweeted that an aide to the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi approached her, saying the interview could not happen unless she wore a headscarf as a mark of respect to the holy months of Muharram and Safar.

Agencies
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi refused to appear at the scheduled interview with Christiane Amanpour after the latter denied to cover her head with a scarf for the meeting. Amanpour revealed the entire scenario in a series of tweets.

The CNN anchor informed us that the interview scheduled for Wednesday night was going to be Raisi’s first interview in the US.

The interview was to be conducted on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.





The Iranian President is on a visit to the US amid protests all over Iran against the custodial death of a young Iranian woman, who was reportedly taken under custody by the morality police, which looks after the enforcement of the Islamic Republic’s stringent religious laws.

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Amanpour tweeted that after weeks of planning for the said interview, there was no sign of the Iranian president as they sat prepared with lights, cameras, and translation equipment, which took eight hours to set up.

The Iranian president's adviser approached Amanpour around 40 minutes after the scheduled start time of the conversation and suggested that she wear a hijab.

She wrote that she politely declined the request because she was in New York and there was no tradition or law requiring women to wear headscarves. She also pointed out to the aide that no other Iranian president had mentioned this pre-requisite when she had interviewed them outside Iran.

The veteran journalist said they walked away, and the interview didn’t happen. She wrote that this would have been a critical moment to speak with the Iranian president at a time when protests continue in Iran and people are getting killed.


What is the reason behind the current protests in Iran?

Protests broke out in Iran following the custodial death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was allegedly detained by the morality police for violating the country’s stringent Islamic dress code for women.
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The protests are gaining momentum and have transformed, in some places, from rage over Amini’s demise into a direct challenge to the Iranian government. Some videos posted on social media show protesters chanting, 'Death to the dictator.’


Iran says it will enrich uranium to 60%, highest level ever
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The announcement marks a significant escalation after the sabotage that damaged centrifuges, suspected of having been carried out by Israel _ and could inspire a further response from Israel amid a long-running shadow war between the nations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed never to allow Tehran to obtain a nuclear weapon and his country has twice preemptively bombed Mideast nations to stop their atomic programs.

The announcement marks a significant escalation after the sabotage that damaged centrifuges, suspected of having been carried out by Israel _ and could inspire a further response from Israel amid a l..
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Already earlier in the day, Iran's foreign minister had warned that the weekend assault at Natanz could hurt ongoing negotiations over its tattered atomic deal with world powers. Those talks are aimed at finding a way for the United States to re-enter the agreement, the goal of which is to limit Iran's uranium enrichment in exchange for relief on sanctions.

Already earlier in the day, Iran's foreign minister had warned that the weekend assault at Natanz could hurt ongoing negotiations over its tattered atomic deal with world powers. Those talks are aime..
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Nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi, in Vienna to begin informal talks Tuesday night, made a point to make his announcement in English.


``We believe this round of negotiations is the time for the U.S. to present a list and I hope that I can go back to Tehran with the list of sanctions which should be lifted,'' Araghchi told Iranian state television's English-language arm Press TV. ``Otherwise, it would be a waste of time.''

Nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi, in Vienna to begin informal talks Tuesday night, made a point to make his announcement in English.``We believe this round of negotiations is the time for the U.S. t..
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White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the U.S. takes seriously Iran's ``provocative announcement,`` saying it ``calls into question Iran's seriousness with regard to the nuclear talks and underscores the imperative of returning to mutual compliance`` with the deal.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the U.S. takes seriously Iran's ``provocative announcement,`` saying it ``calls into question Iran's seriousness with regard to the nuclear talks and unders..
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