Ferdowsipour: Officials of IRIB Did Not See Fit to Broadcast Zarif's Interview

Adel Ferdowsipour, the producer and host of the program 90, stated that the officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) did not see fit to broadcast a special interview he conducted with Iran's Foreign Minister. On the program 90 on Tuesday, December 30, Ferdowsipour expressed hope that 'a platform would be provided for this conversation to be aired at the earliest opportunity.' He apologized to the Foreign Minister and the Iranian people regarding this issue. Meanwhile, the website of program 90 published images of Adel Ferdowsipour and Mohammad Javad Zarif, one of which shows the host gifting several volumes of a book he recently translated to the Foreign Minister. The news of the interview with Mr. Zarif had widespread coverage in the media and social networks in recent days. However, the airing of this interview on 90 faced criticism from several media outlets affiliated with conservatives. Among them, the newspaper Vatan-e-Emruz wrote in an article titled 'A Letter to Dr. Sarafraz' addressed to the head of IRIB: 'Mr. Zarif's presence on program 90 has no justification, even if the topic is related to 'sports diplomacy,' it still has no connection to this program.' Sports diplomacy refers to political negotiations or meetings that occur on the sidelines of sporting events. For example, in the 1970s, meetings between U.S. and Chinese officials took place during table tennis competitions, which later led to the normalization of diplomatic relations between them. IRIB has not yet officially commented on this issue or on Adel Ferdowsipour's statements.