Iran's Rouhani denies asking for Venus cover-up
January 28, 2016 02:29
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday he had not asked his Italian hosts to cover up classical nude statues in a Rome museum he visited with Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
A smiling Rouhani told reporters he had "no contact on the subject" with Italian authorities.
"I know that the Italians are very hospitable, a people who seek to make their guests' visits as pleasant as possible and I thank them for that," he added.
Rouhani and Renzi made speeches in Rome's Capitoline Museum on Tuesday, with a huge statue of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius on a horse featuring prominently in many of the photographs of the event.