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The Amanpour Hour

Interview With European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen; Interview With British Prime Minister Keir Starmer; Interview With Son Of Former Shah Of Iran Reza Pahlavi; Nick Cave At The Smithsonian; Interview With Head of Nobel Peace Prize Committee Jorgen Frydnes; Iranian Youth In Revolt; Love And Heartbreak At The Winter Olympics. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired February 14, 2026 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:42]

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. And welcome to THE AMANPOUR HOUR from the Munich Security Conference.

Here's where we're headed this week.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANPOUR: A trans-Atlantic turning point. As Marco Rubio addresses allies in Munich, how do they see the relationship now? I ask E.U. president, Ursula von der Leyen and British prime minister, Keir Starmer.

Then a deep dive into the past, present and future of Iran. First, I asked the son of the last shah, Reza Pahlavi, if he will try and lead his country as some protesters have been calling his name on the streets.

Then the Nobel Peace Prize Committee speaks up for one of its laureates, the Iranian human rights defender Narges Mohammadi. Horrifying reports of her brutal treatment in prison.

And from my archives, for decades Iran's youth has been crying out for change. My report with the young, who've always been demanding more freedom.

Also on the program, how the extraordinary sights and sounds of sculptor Nick Cave are taking over the Smithsonian.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AMANPOUR: Welcome to the program, everyone. I'm Christiane Amanpour.

And we start our program here at the Munich Security Conference, the annual trans-Atlantic gathering that often sets the stage for their policy priorities.

Now, this time last year, the U.S. laid into its European allies to their stunned disbelief. In a blistering speech, Vice President JD Vance accused them of not working with the far right while censoring their free speech. And he made it clear that Trump 2.0 didn't care as much about the defense of Ukraine anymore. It was extraordinary then and now, amid a developing might makes right U.S. policy.

So you can imagine that allies were tuning in closely to hear today whether Secretary of State and national security advisor Marco Rubio would commit to the survival of this 80-year-old alliance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Under President Trump, the United States of America will once again take on the task of renewal and restoration, driven by a vision of a future as proud, as sovereign and as vital as our civilizations past.

And while we are prepared, if necessary, to do this alone it is our preference and it is our hope to do this together with you, our friends here in Europe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: And just to be clear, the special report put out before this conference began labels Trump, quote, "the demolition man" and its authors warned that we're entering an era of, quote, "wrecking ball politics" with the U.S.-led post-1945 international order now under destruction.

Serious stuff indeed. And so I asked the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, and the British prime minister, Keir Starmer for their red lines and roadmap for the future defense and survival of Europe.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

URSULA VON DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: I was very much reassured by the speech of the Secretary of State. We know him. He's a good friend, a strong ally. Indeed this -- and this was for me, very reassuring to listen to him.

We know that in the administration, some have a harsher tone on these topics, but the Secretary of State was very clear. He said we want a strong Europe in the alliance.

And this is what we are working for intensively in the European Union. We have to be an independent Europe, not a Europe that is leaning on someone, but a Europe that is going forward with friends and allies together, facing the challenges that are out there.

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I thought the Secretary of State's speech was consistent with the argument that Ursula made in her remarks a moment ago and the argument I'm making. I think it's really clear, though that we shouldn't get in the warm bath of complacency and think that therefore all we're really doing is reasserting the continuation of what we've had for the last 80 years.

[11:04:49]

STARMER: That would be a mistake, and it'd be a particular mistake for Europe because my strong view is that Europe hasn't done enough in its own defense and security for many years. Because we will only be able to preserve NATO in the way it is needed for the next 80 years if we change and strengthen the European dimension.

That is something which a number of American presidents have said for some time, I believe to be true. And I think we've got to seize this moment to move forward, not to pull apart the trans-Atlantic relationship, but to make sure it works in the circumstances and the times that we face.

AMANPOUR: The current secretary general of NATO after Trump's Davos speech, actually after Prime Minister Carney's speech, which talked about a, you know, a rupture, he said if you all are thinking that you can do what you have to do without the United States, then dream on, it's not going to happen.

So how long do you think it will take to get to this posture that you both say you need to get to?

STARMER: Well, the first thing I'd say is that we're not looking at a future that tears us apart from the Euro-Atlantic alliance that we have. NATO has been the single most effective and successful military alliance the world has ever known, and we should never move away from it.

But I think simply sitting where we are isn't good enough and therefore the change does need to come. That needs Europe to be stronger, to be working more closely together.

And that's why I said what I said about the U.K.-E.U. relationship. We're ten years on from Brexit. We are not the Britain of the Brexit years. We're a Britain that wants to work with the E.U. even more closely in light of the challenge that we face here ten years on.

AMANPOUR: But you also said, and I want to get to the bottom of this, that some red lines have been crossed and they cannot be uncrossed. You're talking about the United States in your -- in your speech, I think.

What red lines are you talking about because there is a massive deficit of trust between many people in the alliance and certainly leaders who are now having to do what you're doing -- work arounds, de-risking, decoupling, whatever you might want to call it, independence.

What red lines have been crossed that cannot be uncrossed?

VON DER LEYEN: So, for example, I want to be very clear -- our digital sovereignty is our digital sovereignty. Very clear on that one.

And we have a long tradition in freedom of speech. Actually, the enlightenment started on our continent. And we are very clear with digital sovereignty also that what is forbidden offline is forbidden online, and we will not flinch what that is concerned. We will be very steadfast to pursue this very clear demand for us.

AMANPOUR: About Ukraine, because again, Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, barely mentioned it except for an elusive peace, he said those words.

President Trump has said in his latest comments that Ukraine, President Zelenskyy needs to get onto it because Russia wants a deal. These are his words, and President Zelenskyy needs to get onto it right now, otherwise, he's going to miss a great opportunity.

Secretary Rubio did not go to your meeting, your leaders' meeting with President Zelenskyy last night. Where do you think this all stands? Where do the negotiations stand? Is it -- is it Zelenskyy who needs to be pressured?

VON DER LEYEN: So I think it's extremely important that we do not buy in the Russian narrative. And this has been out too much there.

I mean, if we look at the strategic goals and the military goals of Putin, it's a huge failure. He wanted to Russify Ukraine. Ukraine has become European. He wanted to stop NATO. NATO has been -- has gotten bigger with Sweden and Finland. He wanted to occupy Ukraine within days or weeks. Well, now we are unfortunately in the fourth year of the war.

And I think it is so important that we on our side tell the truth what is going on in Russia with the war economy, with skyrocketing interest rates and inflation, completely isolated.

And now this is a war of attrition. And in this war of attrition, it is of utmost importance that we push forward the negotiations and put pressure on Putin, that he finally comes to the negotiation table.

AMANPOUR: So I need to ask you a political question, because a lot of people at home are interested. You've just spoken about the amount of money that needs to be spent on Ukraine defense, on Britain, on Europe. That takes politics and convincing.

You have -- I want to ask you, do you think you narrowly just miss being toppled?

[11:09:44]

AMANPOUR: Do you think that what's happening in the politics at home is distracting you and perhaps making you vulnerable to a Brexit follow -- you know, the Reform Party or even maybe the Conservatives who might not want to pursue the kind of politics that you want to pursue?

STARMER: No, I reject that. I ended the week much stronger than I started it. And that's a very good place to be. And my party and my government is completely united on the question of Ukraine and defense and security and the need for stronger relations with Europe on defense, on security and on economy as well.

And so I think that there is real strength in the position I've now set out. I think there will be -- the whole of the government is united behind that. I think actually it unites across the House of Commons. Not everybody I accept.

Reform have a different agenda. They're pro-Putin. We know where they stand. Imagine if they were in government in the United Kingdom, the coalition of the willing could not exist with U.K. participation in it.

We would not be seen as a leader on the European or international stage. We would be seen as a country that people couldn't do business with.

So it's not universal across our parliament. But there's a very strong feeling amongst right-minded politicians that we stick together on Ukraine. So for all of the divisions that you have to get in politics, there are some real clarity and some real certainty on these key issues.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AMANPOUR: Coming up next, we have more from Munich and my conversation with Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran's late shah. He's talking about the opposition and the future of his country amid mass protests and a brutal crackdown.

[11:11:27]

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AMANPOUR: Welcome back to THE AMANPOUR HOUR.

Iran is also a central topic here at the Munich Security Conference. This year, the Islamic Republic has not been invited. The government stays home, while instead a key opposition figure takes the stage. Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late shah of Iran, who was overthrown exactly 47 years ago in 1979. Pahlavi's appearance here comes amid mass protests that swept the country and a brutal deadly crackdown that still continues. Thousands are believed to have been killed and tens of thousands have been detained.

But just ahead of this conference and after meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump made clear that he will continue to pursue diplomacy with Tehran and not military action or regime change for now.

So with these latest mass protests crushed, is there a future beyond a now-vulnerable Islamic Republic?

I asked Reza Pahlavi whether he still expects U.S. intervention and what his plan is for a united opposition going forward.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANPOUR: I want to ask you about what you said as well. You also called on people to come out, and you told them that there would be a 50,000 -- I'm picking that number that you used -- you know, guard of defectors and people who would save them and protect them during their -- during their demonstrations.

Of course, that didn't happen, and they were alone, and they were slaughtered. So, why did you say that? What was it based on? And who are the people that you say are defecting? And if not then, when? When are we going to see that?

REZA PAHLAVI, SON OF IRAN'S FORMER SHAH: Well look, there are many elements within the regime structure that refused to carry out the orders of repression, and they were severely penalized.

Now, there's an extent to which they can do their part, but as long as the IRGC and Khamenei are sitting up there using them as an instrument of repression, even if you have defectors, it's not enough to be a shield of protection.

People were chanting anyway on the streets. And we, in fact, were successful in pushing the regime back, except for the regime acted the way it did.

So, what do we do now? Do we have a temporary retreat -- we are. But people are continuing the struggle. They're continuing to chant slogans.

You see an unprecedented solidarity of Iranians in the four corners of the world demonstrating their support for them. We've seen millions of people on the streets of Iran that are doing it.

Does liberty have a price? Of course it does. Are we prepared to die for this cause? Of course we are. Our whole point is that, we don't have a choice but to fight. We don't have a choice but to liberate ourselves.

And the only way you can minimize the struggle in terms of time and loss of human life is not to be alone in this fight. There's too much blood between us and this regime. There's no turning back for us.

So the question is, is the world this time going to be on the right side of history and support the Iranian people?

This is a choice to be made because the circumstances exist right now as we speak. There's an opportunity. There's a window that exists right now that could be the game changer for the whole world.

AMANPOUR: I can really hear you trying to call on something. And that something I think is intervention.

PAHLAVI: It is intervention only because the Iranian people realize that this intervention will eliminate the most important stumbling block between them and liberation, which is the regime's mechanism of repression and this killing machine.

What does it mean? It means IRGC. It means any other instrument of repression. It means further economic sanctions. It means cutting economic -- the regime's means to basically pay the checks of their mercenaries at the end of the day.

[11:19:52]

PAHLAVI: It means putting more diplomatic pressure, and expanding their diplomats, shutting down the embassy, repurposing the frozen assets that belong to the Iranian people to, in fact, help the Iranian people fund their campaign of labor strikes, help us with the Internet and access to the -- to the world?

And, you know, we had specific demands on that as to where the world can take steps that would be helpful to -- to this campaign.

AMANPOUR: Ok. So I think it's important not to forget that 47 years ago, it was your family that was overthrown. It was your father that was overthrown. There was a reason for that.

And I wonder how you -- how you talk about that right now, how you think about that right now. I was there during that year of the revolution, and I remember it very well.

So, this is all to ask you, why do you think a Pahlavi should be the leader again, and how can you do it? What kind of a plan do you have? What kind of a political ground game inside the country do you have?

I mean, it's necessary, right? You've got to also be able to convince people there and to have an organization.

PAHLAVI: Well, when it comes to the name, that's the name that people chanted on the streets of Iran by the millions in 31 provinces of Iran, in the four corners of Iran. They called my name. They asked me to come to their support and I have. And I accepted the challenge of leading the transition.

As far as the plan that we have, we have a plan before the regime's collapse and particularly for the transition after this regime, which is very well-documented and presented.

It's an open document. You can see it on the Web site of the Iran and -- Iran Prosperity Project. It talks about the emerge -- the initial 100 days. How do we manage that process? How do we avoid what happened in Iraq post-Saddam Hussein? Because we don't want to have the same experience of de-Baathification.

And one of the key components of this strategy is how much defection can exist, not just because we need them on the side of the people, but because, and that has been my principle position, that anyone who doesn't have their hands soiled with the blood of the Iranian people should survive regime change and have a place in the future.

They can be part of the solution as opposed to remain part of the problem. That's very critical to maintain a stable transition, both on the civilian side, as well as the military side.

AMANPOUR: So, I want to pick -- I want to follow up on what you just said, whoever doesn't have blood on their hands. But as you know, a lot of your supporters or people claiming to be your supporters, or I don't know, bots online or whatever, have zero tolerance to anybody who's in Iran right now. They call everybody a collaborator, everybody an appeaser.

There is this incredible woman, Narges Mohammadi, who's a Nobel Peace Laureate. She should be a source of pride for her human rights and her sacrifice that she's made.

And yet online, it is catastrophic what people claiming to be your supporters are saying.

PAHLAVI: Look, I've always spoken against any kind of political violence or intimidation as a matter of principle. And I think this is an opportunity to say that one of our asks is, of course, the immediate release of all political prisoners, that includes Narges Mohammadi.

And I think when you look at the future of Iran, while today we can all be allies for a common cause of liberation and a secular democracy as an alternative to this clerical dictatorship, I think we are all in the same boat.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AMANPOUR: Now today, there are also mass rallies called here in Munich to support the end of the Islamic Republic.

After a break we go back to London for the rest of our program and to a mammoth work of art. How the sculptor Nick Cave is taking over the Smithsonian in Washington.

[11:23:35]

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AMANPOUR: Welcome back.

Ever wondered what you could make with some beads, branches and buttons? Well, the American artist Nick Cave has mastered the art of fashioning small, mundane objects into extravagant, head to toe wearable sculptures called "soundsuits". Now they may look vibrant and whimsical, they are, but Cave has always woven layers of social critique into his art.

Having made his first one, 25 years ago in response to the 1991 police beating of the African-American Rodney King in L.A.

Cave's new show "Mammoth" just opened at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. And considering Trump's current policies, it daringly takes on issues of race and climate change.

CNN Style followed him as he was preparing for the opening of his new exhibition.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK CAVE, ARTIST: I'm witnessing a time in history where history is being erased, but yet history is being revealed at the same time. And so, when I think about "Mammoth", I think about at one point they

existed and then buried and then rediscovered. You know, what is erased becomes revealed. What is removed shows up again.

[11:29:42]

JACQUI PALUMBO, CNN STYLE PRODUCER: These creatures are just one piece of Nick Cave's "Mammoth", a monumental new exhibition and the Smithsonian American Art Museum's largest-ever commission by a single artist.

This vibrant, immersive world uses thousands of objects, costume and video to both recall his own lineage and explore American history.

"Mammoth" has been in the works since 2017, and it never stopped evolving, even up to the last minute.

CAVE: How am I feeling right now? A bit -- you know, it's a little overwhelming, but things are coming together. There's a lot of moving parts.

There is going to be 12 that will move through the Smithsonian.

PALUMBO: Cave has become a leading voice in contemporary art, critiquing political, racial and social structures through assemblage sculptures that burst with color and life.

For some 30 years, he has crafted over 500 so-called soundsuits, sculptures often wearable that are made from found materials, meant to symbolize armor for marginalized groups.

CAVE: I'm always sort of interested in pushing materials out of their familiar roles. I don't know necessarily like how everything will be used, but you know, I'm just like, this is like fabulous.

BOB FAUST, ARTIST AND DESIGNER: How long does it take to assemble each one?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're learning that.

FAUST: You're learning that now.

CAVE: We are on Lake Michigan here in Chicago, getting video footage for the gallery.

Action two, let's go.

Action three, let's go.

When I was building these, I thought I was going to cover the entire structure, but I loved that humanity was revealed.

I'm so excited about the show. I go there next Tuesday and start the installation.

It's really about sort of creating the abundance. I know that everyone will be able to identify with something of their past.

PALUMBO: After weeks in the gallery with the team, "Mammoth" is complete.

CAVE: It was such a feat to pull this all together. It's a very important project at this time of my life. I come from a family of makers. You know, woodworkers, seamstresses, poets, musicians, painters, performers, a thousand influencers.

When I think about that, it's mammoth in terms of scale.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AMANPOUR: And just after a break, the Nobel Peace Prize Committee speaks up for one of its laureates, the Iranian human rights defender Narges Mohammadi's horrifying reports of her brutal treatment in prison. We'll have the details.

[11:33:22]

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AMANPOUR: Welcome back.

As we've discussed this hour, with Iran's Islamic Republic fighting for its survival like never before, no one appears immune from its brutal crackdown. Not even the already imprisoned.

Nobel Peace Prize winner and human rights defender Narges Mohammadi has been viciously assaulted, according to the Nobel Committee. It says it has credible reports detailing Mohammadi's arrest and physical abuse and ongoing life-threatening mistreatment in prison.

Unusually strong language. The Nobel Committee says it is horrified, and it demands an immediate end to these acts. It also calls Mohammadi's imprisonment arbitrary and unjust.

The committee head, Jorgen Frydnes, spoke to me from Oslo this week.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANPOUR: Welcome to the program. I mean, you use particularly strong language, "horrified", and you have described some really untenable violence that she's undergoing. Can you tell me what you know and what you have discovered?

JORGEN FRYDNES, CHAIR, NORWEGIAN NOBEL COMMITTEE: Thank you for having me. The reports of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi are, in fact, horrifying. The credible report is about being beaten repeatedly with wooden sticks and batons, being dragged across the ground, parts of her scalp being teared out of her head, causing open wounds, repeatedly kicked in the pelvis, in the genitals, leaving her unable to sit, unable to live normally, with severe pain.

[11:39:46] FRYDNES: And at the same time, the heavy interrogations have continued, the intimidation have continued, and she continues to be denied adequate, sustained medical assistance.

So, this constitutes cruel and inhumane treatment, a blatant violation of international human rights law.

AMANPOUR: In the meantime, we have received a statement from her husband, who is himself a political activist. He is outside of Iran. His name is Taghi Rahmani. And he has written, "Narges Mohammadi, a human rights defender, was savagely beaten and arrested with shocking and excessive violence. For years, both inside prison and outside, Narges has done nothing but advocate for justice and human dignity. It is clear that this violence is deliberate, an attempt to intimidate her, silence her and force her to abandon her work. This treatment is cruel, unlawful and utterly indefensible."

I mean, you're saying some of the same things, but your reaction to her own husband -- I mean, it was her children who had to accept her Nobel because she couldn't come out of Iran last year. And I just wonder what you think about what he said.

FRYDNES: Well, we totally agree with Mr. Rahmani, that this is inhumane treatment. It's been going on for a long time. But we, as all other international observers, have observed the unlawful mass killings also in the last couple of weeks. And we see this brutal repression that followed the mass protests as another grim example of the repression from the regime. And the treatment of Narges Mohammadi is being increased in the last weeks.

So, this is worrisome. And we definitely worry that she will not be able to live any longer. She has heart disease. She has medical needs, which is not being taken care of.

AMANPOUR: You know, Mr. Frydnes, talking about her health, I interviewed her when she was given a brief sort of medical furlough. And she spoke then about how she was kicked in the chest despite her known heart and other in -- you know, weaknesses. And so, it's important that you point out how grave danger she's in.

But have you, as the Nobel Committee, spoken to, conveyed your concern, and as you said, the fact that you consider this horrifying, to the Iranian government? What can you actually do, if anything?

FRYDNES: Of course, that is the most important question. Of course, we have to appeal to the regime in Tehran to take -- uphold international law and to uphold their -- to not have the violation of these laws, but also to appeal to the International Community to persist in its effort to ensure that Ms. Mohammadi's safety is taken care of and to uphold the universal principle for which she so bravely stands for.

So, this is a call both to the regime in Iran, but also to the International Community to put pressure on them so that Ms. Mohammadi's safety is taken care of.

AMANPOUR: She -- when I spoke to her, said that despite the dangers, she was absolutely committed to keeping on fighting for democracy. This is what she told me from Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NARGES MOHAMMADI, NOBEL PEACE PRIZE LAUREATE: Not even the prison walls and all these convictions can ever stop me. And I feel that alongside the Iranian people, I have to go towards democracy and equality, and I hope that we will see victory. And it may not be an easy path, but I am determined in my belief because of the conditions that exist in my country, Iran.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: What does it say to you about that prize?

Sometimes I know people are concerned if we spotlight some of these people who are in danger, maybe it makes things worse for them. On the other hand, it also gives them, I suppose, a platform and international recognition.

FRYDNES: You're correct -- that is always a very difficult part of the decision making for who should be the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize because yes, you say it could both protect you, but it could also highlight the dangers.

For Ms. Mohammadi, she has been a steadfast human rights defender for many, many years. She has taken those risks many years also before being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

[11:44:47]

FRYDNES: But she continues to stand for what she believes in -- women, life, freedom, for democracy of the people in Iran. And we've seen now how countless of women and men have risked their lives to demand the same things -- freedom, equality, basic human rights in Iran for a long time, but not least the last couple of weeks. And the reaction from the regime has been brutal.

AMANPOUR: Jorgen Frydnes, the head of the Nobel Committee, thank you so much for putting this very important issue front and center and alerting the world.

FRYDNES: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AMANPOUR: And we continue to ask Iranian government officials onto this program with the response to this and to the wider crackdown.

Still ahead, Iranian new year, Nowruz approaches, and we look back into my archives for how, historically, Iranians have turned celebration into resistance.

[11:45:40]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

AMANPOUR: Welcome back to the program.

Nowruz, the Iranian new year is about a month away, a celebration where families gather and workers get a long holiday.

This year's, though, coincides with a very dark period even by revolutionary standards there. As we've discussed, there have been mass killings of Iranian protesters desperate for a better, freer more prosperous life, as well as a continuing crackdown and mass detentions by the authorities, even against doctors who help the wounded they have been targeted.

When it comes to Nowruz, the Islamic government that came to power 47 years ago, tried to suppress new year celebrations, calling them un- Islamic including the ancient Zoroastrian tradition of fire jumping, seen as an act of cleansing and defiance.

From my archives this week, we go back to Tehran for Nowruz 1996, when frustrated young people even then told me how their basic freedoms are repressed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANPOUR: It's Iranian new year and youngsters perform an ancient cleansing ritual to banish old ills. Before the revolution, the streets were full of fire jumpers but it's not an Islamic festival. So today it happens mostly behind closed doors.

Mixed dancing to pop music is forbidden fun in Islamic Iran. But it goes on underground. In upscale neighborhoods, shopping malls are full of lonely hearts on the lookout and watching out for morals police who've beaten girls considered too bold. Rap and heavy metal graffiti are spray-painted on the walls, and the streets of Iran are full of restless youth.

On weekends, youngsters from all social classes head for fresh air and freedom in the mountains. But even here they are frustrated by guardians of the revolution, keeping an eye out for anything other than cordial conversation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's natural wherever you live. By the time boys and girls reach 15 or 16 an attraction exists. You want to know what the opposite sex is like.

AMANPOUR: Only married couples feel free to hold hands in public or dine out together. In today's Iran, unmarried girls sit together at their tea tables. Unmarried boys do the same. Many complain they feel stifled and bored with not enough recreational activities.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can't be like Europeans because of our country's social and religious beliefs. We can't be free like them. But still, we could have more to do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The tension here, especially on the youth, is very bad and we don't have much fun to do. Only sports we have, and this only for the rich persons to do.

AMANPOUR: Coping with the problem is a high priority in a country where about half the population is under 14.

GHOLLAMHOSSEIN KARBASCHI, FORMER MAYOR OF TEHRAN (through translator): We think we must create opportunities to satisfy their mental and physical needs. They can't be ignored, otherwise it will create many problems for the city including political problems in the future.

AMANPOUR: But with more youth growing up more educated, and with the influx of consumerism and communications, officials know the demand for more amenities and more personal freedoms can only grow.

Christiane Amanpour, CNN -- Tehran.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AMANPOUR: Watching that, can anybody be surprised that now, 30 years later, the current generation are protesting? And could those people in my report have ever imagined that the challenges they had then would still remain?

When we come back a different celebration. Valentine's Day this weekend, and how the Winter Olympics have been filled with love, heartbreak and cringey confessions.

[11:54:07]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

AMANPOUR: And finally, this Valentine's Day, love is in the air in all sorts of curious ways even air below freezing. Like in the Italian alps, where there's been some swoon-worthy highs and tearjerking lows at the Winter Olympics.

Most prominently, the pressure and tension of the games clearly overcame Norwegian Olympian Sturla Holm Laegreid. In a really strange moment of candor, just after he had won the biathlon bronze on Tuesday, he decided with great emotion to admit, unprompted, that he had had an affair. Then he asked his erstwhile girlfriend to forgive him in a public post-win press conference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STURLA HOLM LAEGREID, NORWEGIAN OLYMPIAN: Today, I made the choice to tell the world what I did so maybe, maybe there is a chance that she will show, see what she really means to me. And maybe not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:59:50]

AMANPOUR: Maybe not. The anonymous ex-girlfriend in question says that she is currently finding it too hard to forgive.

Now, over on the ice things were hotter. A honeymoon of sorts for gold medalist and four-time Olympic veterans, Madison Chock and Evan Bates. They were now competing as a married couple for the first time and helped spur the U.S. figure skating team to victory. That's all we have time for. Don't forget you can find all of our shows online as podcasts at CNN.com/audio and on all other major platforms.

I'm Christiane Amanpour in London. Thank you for watching and see you again next week.