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Just days before hed premiere his new film The Seed of the Sacred Fig in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival, director Mohammad Rasoulof has been sentenced to eight years in prison and flogging in Iran. Hell also be subjected to a fine and the confiscation of property. The filmmaker has run afoul of the theocratic government there for years, and theres some indication the timing of this extremely harsh sentence is coercion to remove the film from the festival altogether.

Its easy to see why the authoritarian regime might be scared of Rasoulofs latest work. The Seed of the Sacred Fig Tree is literally about a judge for the Revolutionary Court in Tehran dealing with the fallout from the nationwide protests that have swept the country in recent years, and he particularly succumbs to paranoia when his gun disappears.

The 51-year-old director has been hit with a severe sentence, before, however. Making features since 2002, Rasoulof was first arrested in 2010 for supposedly filming without a permit an offense for which he received a six-year prison sentence, later knocked down to one year. After he returned from a trip abroad in 2017, the authorities in Iran confiscated his passport, forbidding him from leaving the country.

Hes received other sentences since, which were deferred due to the Covid pandemic, when Iran actually released over 50,000 prisoners to prevent the viruss spread. When he received another charge, for allegedly undermining Irans national security because of making his 2017 film A Man of Integrity, which won the top prize in Un Certain Regard, he received an outpouring of support from other filmmakers, such as Asghar Farhadi and Jafar Panahi. Not allowed to leave Iran for years, a coalition of filmmakers petitioned the government to allow him to attend Cannes in 2023, where he had been invited to participate in the Un Certain Regard jury.

His next film, There Is No Evil, about capital punishment in Iran, won the Golden Bear at Berlin. He filmed the entire movie in secret.

According to Iranian journalist Mansour Jahani, this particularly harsh sentence against Rasoulof is expected to be executed soon. However, he is not yet in prison as of publication time.

On X, Rasoulofs lawyer Babak Paknia wrote, as translated by Jahani, According to the verdict issued by the 29th branch of the Islamic Revolution Court of Iran, Mohammad Rasoulof was sentenced to 8 years of imprisonment (5 years applicable), flogging, fine, and confiscation of property. This ruling was confirmed in the 36th branch of the Court of Appeals and now the case has been sent to enforcement.

In a follow-up tweet, Paknia added, The main reason for issuing this sentence is signing statements and making films and documentaries, which in the courts opinion, these actions are examples of collusion with the intention of committing a crime against the countrys security.

IndieWire has reached out to the Cannes Film Festival for comment.

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Iran Sentences Director Mohammad Rasoulof to 8 Years in Prison and Flogging Days Before His New Film Premieres ... - IndieWire

After weeks of being held in Iran and promises that the crew of the seized containership MSC Aries would be released, the governments of Portugal, India, and Pakistan confirmed that the first seven crewmembers had left the ship. Iran last week had said all the crew would be free to leave if the captain joined them and now it is being reported the crew will be released when their contractual obligations are completed.

Portugal as the flag state of the containership confirmed that seven people of the 24 still aboard the vessel had departed. They said specifically that the first release consisted of five Indian citizens, one Filipino, and one Estonian, who was the sole European Union citizen on board.

The Portuguese government welcomes this development, for which it had strongly advocated for. Nonetheless, it reiterates to the Iranian Government that international law requires the immediate release of the remaining crew members and of the ship MSC Aries. Portugal will continue to make every effort to ensure that these international obligations are fully met, the Portuguese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Indias embassy in Iran posted a message on X (Twitter) confirming that its five citizens had departed Iran last night and were making their way home to India. Previously, they had arranged for the sole cadet, a female, to travel home to India where she arrived on April 19, six days after the vessel was seized.

The consulate previously said that it had been able to arrange a visit to the crew and that they were in good health. They are continuing to call for the immediate release of the additional 11 Indian citizens aboard the MSC Aries.

The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs said that its one crewmember was expected to arrive back in the Philippines today, Friday, May 10. They said they are working for the release of the three remaining Filipinos aboard the ship. We hope for their eventual speedy return to their homes and families, todays statement said.

The vessel also has crewmembers from Russia and Pakistan. Iran had promised the Pakistan Foreign Ministry that it would repatriate its crewmembers while it was planning for a state visit to the country. However, there was no word on when these crewmembers might be released.

Iran reiterated its assertion that the MSC Aries broke international maritime law. They accused the vessel of turning off its AIS transmissions while in Iranian territorial waters and endangering the safety of navigation. The official position is that the vessel is detained under judicial review.

The seizure is widely seen as a retaliatory move against Israel coming shortly before Iran unleashed missiles and drones targeting Israel. The MSC Aries operates under a long-term charter to MSC but is owned by affiliates of Zodiac Maritime in which Eyal Ofer is the lead investor.

See more here:
Seven Crewmembers from Seized MSC Aries Depart Iran - The Maritime Executive

The chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says Iran has become so powerful that it fearlessly attacks the heart of the global arrogance.

The fact that the Islamic Republic attacks the heart of the [global] arrogance fearlessly and with the knowledge of all-round enmity and consequences shows the peoples power of faith, resistance, will and progress, Major General HosseinSalamisaid in Semnan Province on Monday.

Referring to Iran's recent Operation True Promise against Israel, Salami said, "By relying on the strength and power of the zealous Iranian nation, the operation was not carried out as a surprise, but by taking responsibility for it and broadcasting its images."

"From the very first moments of the operation, Iranians took to the streets to express their support for the retaliatory attack and the IRGC," he stressed.

On April 14, Iran fired morethan 300 dronesand missiles at military bases in the Israeli-occupied territories.

The large-scale attack, dubbed Operation True Promise, was a response to a terrorist Israeli raid against Irans consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus that killed 13 people, including seven IRGC military advisors.

Salami also noted that Iran achieved success whenever it faced obstacles and sanctions.

The power of the Islamic Republic establishment today is the outcome of resistance and progress in an endless war in multiple forms with different countries of the world, he said.

The Iranian nation turned sanctions into an opportunity for advancement in various fields, the IRGC chief added.

Salami noted that, "The enemy's idea of sanctioning Iran was to paralyze and make it surrender, however, our nation turned the sanction into an opportunity for progress, and this power's great achievements have been displayed to the world in various fields today."

The IRGC chief asserted that the key to overcoming sanctions and problems is "being with the people."

The United States under former president Donald Trump reinstated crippling sanctions on Iran after unilaterally walking out of the 2015 nuclear deal in May 2018, despite Irans full compliance with the terms of the agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

In defiance of the illegal sanctions, Iran has made great strides in different areas and has become self-reliant in many sectors.

Read more:
Iran's authority result of resistance, advances in endless wars: IRGC chief - Press TV

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is ready for a direct attack from Iran and will respond in kind.

Citizens of Israel, in recent years, and even more so in recent weeks, Israel has been preparing for the possibility of a direct attack from Iran, the premier says in a video statement.

Our defense systems are deployed, and we are prepared for any scenario, both in defense and offense. The State of Israel is strong, the IDF is strong, the public is strong.

We appreciate the US for standing by Israels side as well as the support of the UK, France and many other countries.

I established a clear principle whoever hurts us, we will hurt them. We will defend ourselves from any threat and we will do so calmly and with determination.

I know that you, the citizens of Israel, are also keeping calm. I urge you to listen to the directives of the Home Front Command.

Together we stand, and with Gods help, together we will overcome all of our enemies, Netanyahu says.

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Were really pleased that youve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.

Thats why we started the Times of Israel eleven years ago - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.

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Netanyahu says Israel ready for direct attack from Iran, will respond in kind - The Times of Israel

Were really pleased that youve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.

Thats why we started the Times of Israel eleven years ago - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.

So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we havent put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.

For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.

Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel

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Report: Iran begins attack on Israel, launching dozens of drones that'll take hours to arrive - The Times of Israel