Yes, Ahmadinejad Talked With Me

On Monday, the office of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denied that the Iranian president was interviewed by Al-Monitor. "Imagine my surprise to read that," Barbara Slavin writes — as she was there. She asked him questions, he answered them and she and other journalists taped the encounter.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reponds to a reporters' questions following a news conference on the sidelines of the 67th United Nations General Assembly in New York, September 26, 2012. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS)
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reponds to a reporters' questions following a news conference on the sidelines of the 67th United Nations General Assembly in New York, September 26, 2012. - REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
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Barbara Slavin
@BarbaraSlavin1

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seemed pleased to see me last week when I met him in New York along with six other Americans who have written books on Iran.

Each of us had a chance to question the Iranian president for several minutes and I began by reminding him that I was the first US newspaper reporter to interview him after he was elected president in 2005.

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