Various news outlets reported on Jan. 25 that US President Donald Trump plans to sign executive orders to restrict immigration and also suspend visas for citizens of Iran and six other Middle Eastern and African countries — at least temporarily.
In response, prominent Iranian actress Taraneh Alidoosti has announced that she has decided to boycott the upcoming Academy Awards ceremony on Feb. 28. Alidoosti notably stars as the lead actress in the “The Salesman,” which has been nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. The movie is directed by Oscar-winning director Asghar Farhadi. On Jan. 26, Alidoosti tweeted, “Trump’s visa ban for Iranians is racist. Whether this will include a cultural event or not, I won’t attend the Academy Awards 2017 in protest.” In a longer post on her Instagram page, she wrote, “Trump’s visa ban for Iranians and others is a racist move and unacceptable. Whether this will include a cultural event or not, I won’t attend the #AcademyAwards 2017 in protest.” Both posts were widely shared, with the Instagram post receiving over 200,000 likes.
Meanwhile, Iranian media have warned the government in Tehran to prepare plans for countering Trump's decisions.
The reported executive orders, which could increase pressure on Iran’s moderate President Hassan Rouhani by hard-liners who accuse him of being soft on the West, have notably prompted both Reformist and conservative newspapers to adopt relatively similar stances on the issue.
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