Ann Curry In Iran To Interview Ahmadinejad

Ann Curry is in Iran to interview President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the "Today" show announced Wednesday morning.

It will be Ahmadinejad's first interview since the June elections and uprising in Iran and comes in advance of his upcoming visit to the United Nations in New York.

Curry's interview will air Thursday on "Today" and "NBC Nightly News" and Friday morning on "Today."

Curry visited Iran in June, where she reported for a "Dateline" special on the country. Watch that report below:

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Comments

[Payam Azadi]

I am very disappointed with NBC. They should never have interviewed Ahmadinejad. He is only doing the interview to legitimize his "illegal" government and if you think we should be keeping a liberal and open mind about his and khamenei's regime, then only history in the future will prove this wrong. I can not over-estimate the regimes brutality from firsthand experience and to the level of fascism they can rise to. Wait for the news at the end of today, 18-Sept-2009.

[chulanow]

Good job Ann......great interview.

[Olampean]

"So, Mahmoud, may I call you Mahmoud?"

"Yes, that would be alright."

"So, Mahmoud, how do you feel?"

[SPQR1775]

YES any educated American know that the IRAN we have today is because of Americas meddling. It was the US Carter and Reagan who ensured that Iran became a closed nation. Now ISRAEL and its lobby and Saudi Arabia and Egypy in common want to end IRAN because nationally it is a treat and a BIGGER treat with a Democratic system of Goverment. It is OK to BASH Ahmadinejad, he is ruthless, I hope he change and allow inspection with the condition that for Middle East peace and security ISRAEL too must open its Nuclear Arsenal to UN Inspectors, the world would see that as FAIR and lets see what takes place then. TIME FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE. Iran does have the right to peaceful nuclear technology and know how which they do. America, France, Russia, Japan, China, England all have nuclear weapons, and peaceful means, Israel too and it is well known that Saudi Arabia most certainly have nuclear weapons, the US base them there years ago!

[Khirad]

Bring Hooman Majd with you. His insights into translating Ahmadinejad would be invaluable to you.

[duxguts]

If I were her I would have a can of mace in her purse, Ahmadinejad's eyes look too close together just like the kid who played banjo in Deliverance.

[Mojdeh Irany]

A good move for Journalists around the world would have been to publicly decline the invitation by Iran due to the mistreatment they got last time. Unless Iran agrees to let the reporters interview the opposition group and the people in Iran not just AN. Maziyar Bahari a Canadian Iranian journalist and many other journalists are still in Jail from the election time. A journalist can only do her/his job when they are free to report what they see; otherwise, they become the tool for the IR regime or other oppressing regime to spread lies for them and show the country and the event something that is not. Ann in her last report said that Iran has an ELECTED president. AN was NEVER an elected president. He cheated the last time too. Do not report news that is not true, you will only hurt the people and Iranians will lose the support of citizens from other countries since ppl from other countries do not get a chance to know what truly is happening in Iran. Only political sanctions will help the people of Iran not economical sanction or military attacks or siding with AN and giving him more airtime.

[Broncovent]

Yes, Ann Curry is as deep an analyst as NBC could muster. Things could be worse--the network could have sent D. Gregory.

[Lemmy]

Ryan Seacrest was already booked.

[thevillagewag]

How about Paula? She would at least provide some entertaiment. Ann is too serious.

[Mahasti]

Ahmadinejad will practice his Obama "debate" points on Ann Curry and declare himself the winner. Should the lady protest too much, there's room for her in Evin next to Maziar Bahari.

[hallowellboy]

Whys should she be interviewing this maniac? For NBC ratings? This is how he gets exposure and legitimacy in the West. Cut him off and isolate him from the rest of the world. We already know his agenda. Bad move NBC.

[dteg]

Shocking. ABC,NBC,CBS, Fox spend so little on stories outside of the USA. I thought they had almost given up. Ann is probably one of those still fighting for international stories among USA MSM.

[Broncovent]

But with little intellectual talent to bring them off. NBC never had a stable of such people, but CBS, and even ABC did, for a while, with a few exceptions. Next, they will be sending weatherman Roker out to do political assignments.

[ruhaba]

I was born and lived in Iran during shah, We were not oppressed please get it right, we had freedom we wore short skirts we went to college free ,our rooms and books were free ,we became what ever we wanted to become as a woman,
Shah was not going to renew oil contract with U.S , he was going to raise the price so what happend next , Carter gave millions to khomaini and supported this Mullah Carter brought shah down as a result we lost our country to bunch of Mullah's and every thing back fired on Carter. We Lost Iran,

[raaf]

hahaha, good one !

[Broncovent]

dont blame it on the US or Carte3r. The Iranians, many of whom left in time w suitcases full of gold, like Shah, Jr., were the cause. And they bailed. Things could be worse. The country was almost bought by the Russians.

[RaWash]

the first bit is certainly true, i've seen pictures from that era. however, the rest of your comment is pure fabrication for the following reasons, 1. neither Iran nor the Shah had the authority to control oil prices (Iran never exported enough oil to have that kind of power), 2. Carter (however oblivious to the internal situation in Iran) was despised by the majority of Iranians at that time, his friendship with the Shah was one of the main reasons the USA was despised prior, during and after the Islamic Revolution (the other main reason being the overthrowing of the country's elected prime minister by the CIA, see Operation Ajax). i know Iran isn't that much better off in the hands of the Mullahs, but you should at least be honest about what happened instead of spreading wacky conspiracy theories.

[Mojdeh Irany]

How about the whole history of Mosadegh and how Mohammad Reza came to power, and how Mohammadreza, just like Ahmadinejad, came to power by a military cout de ta, killing innocent ppl and putting Mosadegh on a house arrest.
Also, you did not mention all the political prisoners during Shah. Unfortunately, he too, asked for the cost of bullets when handed over the bodies of Iran's best and brightest killed in Jails and under torture.
Less than 40% of Iranians could read/write....
It is not a good idea to confuse freedom with wearing skirts and going to college. Iranian women are much more educated under IR regime than shah. That is not a measure of democracy and freedom either. a country and a nation has freedom when their jails is not full of political prisoners, their votes count...
It is true that we had much more freedom in Shah's regime than IRI. But we are not going backward, we will move forward toward a true democracy, and freedom for Iran.

[MARNIE2]

THE MULLAH 'S..WHERE ALL LOOKING FOR POWER ! .....GANJI­....stated­....we had a teory that Islamic govt. could provide us w/ just rule ...but...then there was a great deal of pseudo -Islamic
dogma added in defense of ..totalitarianism . in other word 's - little people power ...MORE.....
.......MULLAL -POWER !. ...... ISLAMIC LAW -[ in Govt,. ]...24/7 in ....ones face .......to OBSSESSIVE & SUFFOCATING...... ?

[Deborah Paley]

I like Ann Curry.

[desertdweller]

I like Indian curry :)

[Wozzeck]

Another in a series of corporate media toadies, like Scott Pelley and Brian Williams, who insult the intelligence of the Iranian public with their irrelevant "sucker punch" questions.

[Khirad]

Ahmadinejad's counterquestions can be just as absurd.

[mzzanthrope]

Why Ann Curry?? Seems like a strange, less than competent choice.