Iran Cancels Ceremony to Honor Oscar-Winning Director

Iranian authorities today cancelled a ceremony in honor of Asghar Farhadi who won an Oscar for best foreign language film for "A Separation." There were no official explanations as to why the ceremony was canceled. Earlier this week, large number of Iranians greeted Farhadi upon his arrival at Tehran’s airport. The authorities might have expected an outpouring of public support for Farhadi and the stars of A Separation during or after the ceremony.

File Photo: Asghar Farhadi holding the Oscar for best foreign language film for "A Separation" during the 84th Academy Awards in Hollywood. AP Photo/Joel Ryan.

'Nader and Simin, A Separation' Wins Golden Globe

Iran’s “Nader and Simin, a Separation” won the award for best foreign language film at the Golden Globe.

Photo: "A Separation" director Asghar Farhadi (l.) and actor-screenwriter Peyman Moaadi at the 69th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. 15 January 2012.

Iran Film Wins Top Tribeca Prize

Asghar Farhadi's "About Elly" Wins Top Tribeca Prize

New York . 2 May 2009

Asghar Farhadi's "About Elly (Darbareye Elly)" has won the Best Narrative Feature at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival. The film tells the story of college friends reuniting for a weekend by the Caspian Sea.

The competition judges -- producer Richard Fischoff, filmmaker Todd Haynes, and actors Bradley Cooper, Meg Ryan and Uma Thurman -- described "About Elly" as a "seamless piece of ensemble filmmaking" [Reuters, 2 May].

"The universality of the characters and themes, and the director's riveting grasp of this story make 'About Elly' a film that collapses barriers and deepens our understanding of the world we share," the judges said.

US Military Frees Two Iranian Officials

The US military in Iraq today released two of the five Iranian officials arrested during a raid in Erbil last January. The Iranian foreign ministry identified the two as Musa Cheghini and Hamid Reza Asgari-Shokooh (ISNA, 9 November).

Seven Iranian civilians were also released today. Iran claims they were pilgrims. US military suspected them of involvement in terrorist activities.

Six Iranian officials are still held in Iraq. In addition to three remaining officials from Erbil, the detainees include Mahmoud Farhadi who was arrested in Sulaymaniyah last September and two others in Baghdad.

Mahmoud Farhadi is accused by US military of being a high-ranking officer in IRGC-Quds Force involved in smuggling deadly roadside bombs into Iraq. Iran says Farhadi is a low-level provincial trade official visiting Iraq to promote commerce. Iran closed its border with Iraqi Kurdistan for more than two weeks to protest Farhadi’s arrest.

US Military Will Free Iranian Detainees

The US military in Iraq said today that it will free nine Iranians detained in Iraq. They include the five officials detained during a raid in Erbil last January.

US Rear Admiral Gregory Smith said the nine individuals have no “continuing value” for US military.

It is not known whether Mahmoud Farhadi who was detained last September in Sulaymaniyah will be among the nine. US military has accused Farhadi of being a high ranking IRGC-Quds Force officer involved in smuggling explosives into Iraq.

US Accuse Iran Envoy of Quds Membership

The US military commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus said today Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran’s ambassador in Baghdad, is a member of IRGC’s Quds Force. Gen. Petraeus added that Qomi’s diplomatic immunity prevents US to take any action against him.

The US military arrested an Iranian national, Mahmoud Farhadi, in Iraqi Kurdistan nearly three weeks ago. The military accuses Farhadi of being a high-ranking officer in the Quds Force. Gen. Petreaus did not reveal if the information on Qomi’s membership in the Quds Force was provided by Farhadi.

Gen. Petraeus accused the Quds Force of “malign, lethal involvement and activities” in Iraq.

Iran Reopens Border with Kurdistan

Iran reopened today its border with Iraqi Kurdistan. The border was close 17 days ago in protest of the arrest of Mahmoud Farhadi. US military arrested Farhadi and accused him of being a highly-ranked officer of Quds Force and in charge of smuggling deadly roadside bombs into Iraq. Iran denies this and maintains that Farhadi is a provincial trade official. Farhadi is still in detention.

Iran Closes Border with Kurdistan

The Iranian government today closed down major border crossings with Iraqi Kurdistan. The government’s action was in protest to US detention of Mahmoud Farhadi. The US military believes Farhadi is a high-ranking member of IRGC’s Quds Force, involved in weapons smuggling into Iraq. The Iranian government says Farhadi is a provincial bureaucrat in charge of cross-border trades with Kurdistan.

At least four border gates were closed starting Sunday night and one remained open Monday, Sulaimaniyah Governor Dana Ahmed Majeed told The Associated Press. Iran’s semiofficial Mehr news agency reported that all five border points had been closed to protest the detention of Farhadi.