Oscar-winning director Asghar Farhadi may not be unable to attend this year's Academy Awards, thanks in part to Donald Trump's most recent Executive Order banning visas from countries such as Iraq, Iran, Syria and Libya for 120 days.

There were fears that Trump's so-called Muslim Ban would have an effect on people attending the Oscars this year, and it now appears as though those fears have been realised. Author Trita Parsi, who leads non-profit organisation National Iran-American Council, confirmed that Farhadi will not be allowed into the country under Trump's executive order.

The executive order will mean that those who are currently in Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Somalia with Green Card, visas and so forth and intended to travel to the US will now no longer be allowed to enter the country.

Iranian actress Taraneh Alidoosti was also set to attend the ceremony with Asghar Farhadi, but took to Twitter two days ago and confirmed that she was not attending the ceremony. "This is not about me or the Academy Awards, it’s about having a discussion about this decision," Alidoosti told the New York Times. "This is such a bizarre ban, it is uprooting people’s lives in ways not imaginable."

Farhadi's film, The Salesman, was filmed in his native Tehran and is his second film to be nominated for an Oscar. A Separation won Best Foreign Language at the Oscars in 2012, as well as a number of other awards that year.

There was concern that Trump's order might affect the situation, but now it appears this is the case. AMPAS, the Academy for Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, has not yet issued a statement on the matter.

 

Via Twitter