‘Don’t you know my nation believes death is sweeter than honey?’ one woman asked correspondent Frederik Pleitgen in a message to Trump
CNN correspondent Frederik Pleitgen is the first Western journalist to enter Iran amid its war with Israel. He used the access to report from a crowd of angry pro-regime protesters in Tehran who chanted “death to America,” burned Israeli and American flags, and threatened President Donald Trump.
“Massive crowds have turned out here in central Tehran to protest against Israel’s strikes against Iran but also against the policies of the Trump administration,” Pleitgen said. “Many of them were chanting ‘Death to America,’ were chanting ‘Death to Israel,’ we saw them burn American flags and burn Israeli flags.”
“So you can see that anger being voiced by many of the folks who are walking here in this protest,” Pleitgen continued as he walked with those folks. CNN aired interviews with some of the protesters, including a woman who took aim at Trump.
“Trump, you are threatening my leader!” the woman yelled into the camera. “Don’t you know my nation believes death is sweeter than honey?”
CNN first aired Pleitgen’s segment around 12:30 p.m. on Friday. Afterwards, anchor Anderson Cooper said Iran’s government “obviously … wants to see people out in the streets protesting, sending a message certainly to people in the United States and perhaps to Israel.” After a second airing of the segment hours later, CNN interviewed Washington Post reporter and former Iranian hostage Jason Rezaian, who explained the problem with broadcasting that message.
“When the regime faces these sorts of existential threats, they mobilize their supporters,” Rezaian said. “At the same time, there is no opportunity, there is no mechanism by which people—millions of Iranians who are opposed to this regime—could organize such a protest or demonstration, especially without fearing or risking arrest or worse.”
One day earlier, CNN aired a segment in which Pleitgen toured the Iranian state-controlled broadcasting headquarters that Israeli warplanes struck. He pointed out the regime’s destroyed tech and food remains as he noted that the attack had sparked calls for “revenge.”