The President of Iran, Mohmoud Ahmadinejad, was recently interviewed on CNN by Piers Morgan. During the interview Morgan brought up Iran’s ban on woman skiing alone. Here is a transcript of the discussion,

PIERS MORGAN: When people talk of freedom – and I’ve heard you talk of freedom – they look at Iran and they say that there are still laws banning homosexuality. You have a law that bans single women from going skiing on their own. And they say what kind of freedom is that if people can’t be gay, because they were born that way, or they can’t go skiing as a single woman. What do you say to the critics?

MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, President of Iran (through translator): Now you have managed to mix a number of things here. For a single lady to go on a trip to go skiing, is that forbidden in Iran? Who has told you that?

MORGAN: It’s not forbidden?

AHMADINEJAD (through translator): I’m hearing it from you.

MORGAN: It is has been widely reported that you brought in a rule that said single women couldn’t go skiing. Are you now telling me they can?

AHMADINEJAD (through translator): I’m hearing it from you, sir, for the very first time.

MORGAN: So to clarify, Mr. President, if a single woman from Iran is watching this interview, she can go skiing on her own?

AHMADINEJAD (through translator): Of course they see this program, because it’s broadcast in Iran.

MORGAN: Right. So it is perfectly okay, you are happy for single women to go skiing.

AHMADINEJAD (through translator): You see, the problems that are facing humanity today are much deeper than whether a single lady goes skiing or not. There are many reforms yet to take place, many reforms as of yet to be realized.

Here is a look back to what skiing once was in Iran Skiing Iran with Billy Kidd, Suzy Chapstick and the Queen of Persia | 1978