Alva Review-Courier -

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi returned to Tehran early Wednesday after competing in South Korea without wearing a headscarf, an act widely seen as support for anti-government demonstrators amid weeks of protests over the Islamic Republic's mandatory hijab.

After landing, Rekabi gave a careful, emotionless interview to Iran's hard-line state television, saying that going without a hijab had been an "unintentional" act on her part. However, hundreds gathered outside Imam Khomeini International Airport — including women not wearing the hijab — and cheered for "El...