Iranian actress to shun Oscars in protest of Trump immigrant ban

TEHRAN – The star of Iran's Oscar-nominated movie "The Salesman" said on Thursday she would not attend the Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood next month because of U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed ban on immigrants from Muslim nations. Taraneh Alidoosti, 33, a Tehran-born actress, said the move was racist. "Trump's visa ban for Iranians is racist. Whether this will include a cultural event or not, I won't attend the #AcademyAwards 2017 in protest," Alidoosti said on Twitter. An executive order expected to be signed by Trump in coming days will block the entry to the United States of Syrian refugees, and suspend the entry of any immigrants from Muslim-majority countries Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran, Libya and Yemen. In "The Salesman," Alidoosti plays one half of an Iranian couple whose life becomes strained as they take part in a production of the American stage classic "Death of a Salesman." The film, by Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, was nominated on Tuesday for a foreign-language Oscar, and has won prizes at film festivals in Cannes, Chicago and Munich. Alidoosti has also appeared in the popular Iranian TV soap opera "Shahrzad." –Reuters