Iran’s Zarif Praises Salesman’s Crew for Stance on Trump, Winning Another Oscar
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif hailed the cast and crew of 'The Salesman' for winning the 2017 Academy Award for best foreign-language film.
Zarif also lauded Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, The Salesman’s director, for boycotting the Oscars over US President Donald Trump's executive order banning visitors from seven Muslim countries.
“Proud of cast & crew of "The Salesman" for Oscar & stance against #MuslimBan. Iranians have represented culture & civilization for millennia,” Zarif said in a message posted on his official Twitter account on Monday.
Farhadi was not present at the event to claim the Oscar for his film as he had boycotted the awards show in protest of President Donald Trump's executive order that barred travelers from seven Muslim countries, including Iran, from entering the United States.
Iranian-American engineer Anousheh Ansari accepted the award on behalf of Farhadi. She read out a statement written by the director, explaining Farhadi’s decision for not attending the ceremony.
"My absence is out of respect for the people of my country," Farhadi said in the statement, calling the ban "inhumane."
"Diving the world into the US and our enemies categories creates fear," the statement continued, according to CNN.
Last month, Farhadi said that he would not take part in the awards, even after receiving special permission to attend. He has announced that Ansari, famed for being the first female space tourist, and Firouz Naderi, a former director of Solar Systems Exploration at NASA, will be his representatives at this year's Academy Awards.
