In an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, President Ebrahim Raisi insisted that the unrest surrounding the hijabs was driven by external agitators, despite evidence to the contrary.
President Ebrahim Raisi has asserted that Western powers are instigating protests in Iran against mandatory headscarves for women
President Ebrahim Raisi emphasized that the Iranian people, rooted in faith and spirituality, recognized that the United States and three European nations were indifferent to their rights and the significance of the hijab in their culture.
President Ebrahim Raisi specifically identified Britain, France, and Germany, linking them to the unraveling of the 2015 international nuclear agreement and ongoing disputes over Iran’s nuclear activities. Protests gained momentum following the tragic passing of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, prompting thousands of arrests, including that of her father, Amjad Amini. On the anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death, Iran’s parliament pursued legislation to impose stricter penalties for hijab law violations.
President Ebrahim Raisi criticized Western media, attributing last year’s events to a media-fueled conflict orchestrated by perceived adversaries
He refrained from naming specific networks but pointed to those headquartered in the three European countries and the United States. Despite observations from Zakaria about Iran’s uniquely stringent laws within the Muslim world, Raisi reaffirmed the inviolability of hijab as a legal mandate within the Islamic Republic.
Throughout the interview, President Ebrahim Raisi also took aim at Israel, predominantly referring to it as “the Zionist regime” due to Iran’s non-recognition of Israel’s existence. He contended that U.S. endeavors to normalize relations between Israel and certain neighboring states, driven by mutual concerns over Iran’s international behavior, were destined to falter. President Ebrahim Raisi maintained that such normalization efforts would be met with the same fate as previous attempts.