CNN star Christiane Amanpour said Thursday that she refused to wear a headscarf for an interview with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in New York, which she said led to the cancellation of a one-on-one meeting with the Iranian leader. Agerpres.

According to reports from CNN’s international chief on Twitter, an adviser to the president of Iran came to her “40 minutes after the interview was supposed to start” to say that Ebrahim Raisi “suggested” the journalist should wear a veil “because these are holy months Muharram and Safar”.

Amanpour refused to comply with the request, and the Iranian adviser explained to him that under these conditions the interview, which was supposed to take place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, would not take place.

“The interview did not take place. In the context of ongoing demonstrations and deaths in Iran, it would be important to talk to President Raisi,” concluded Christiane Amanpour, who posted a photo of herself in front of an empty chair.

Last week, Iranians took to the streets of several cities across the country to protest the death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, while being detained by police because her clothing did not conform to Islamic norms.

Iran’s government says 17 people have died in the demonstrations, but the Oslo-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) said at least 31 civilians had been killed in the past six days.