The state department’s official Persian-language Twitter account, @USAdarFarsi, tweeted congratulations to the Iranian people and Asghar Farhadi, director of The Salesman, after the movie won an Oscar for best foreign-language film on Sunday, according to screenshots of the message circulated on Twitter.
The US state department has tweeted and then deleted a congratulatory message for an Oscar win by a prominent Iranian director who criticized President Donald Trump’s travel ban as “inhumane”.
According to screenshots circulating on Twitter, the @USAdarFarsi account posted a message around 1am EST congratulating Farhadi on the award, which was Iran’s second Oscar victory.
A second state department official said the decision to delete the tweet was made within the department.