U.S. and Europe are isolating Iran: Majid Majidi

The U.S. and Europe are increasingly “isolating” Iran for resisting Western supremacy in the region. On the other hand, such powers are largely lenient in dealing with Saudi Arabia, a systematic rights violator, as the country remains “subservient” to the U.S.”, said Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi.

He was in Kolkata to launch his film, Beyond the Clouds, releasing this month. He also spoke extensively on Iran’s politics and the American strategy to “isolate the country”.

The Iranian government cannot transfer money through international banks, he noted, and thus its imports are “choked”. As a result there is a “severe shortage of raw materials for the factories and medicine”. Pointing out that the value of Iranian currency is sliding, he blamed the U.S. and Europe for fomenting trouble.

Resistance to U.S.

“As we are the only country in that region to resist the U.S., we are isolated. Saudi Arabia, the other important country, is completely subservient to the U.S. and [has] opened its oil sector and thus no questions are asked about the rights abuse in Saudi Arabia,” Mr. Majidi told The Hindu.

Iran is pulled up time and again, recalled Mr. Majidi. Mohammad Mossadegh, Prime Minister of democratically elected Iranian government in the early fifties, opposed the British and “threw them out of Iran’s oil wells and paid the price”.

“Mossadegh was overthrown and jailed. Then came the Americans; they were... eventually thrown out which they could not accept. They went all out to isolate Iran globally first by triggering a war between Iran and Iraq and then by imposing sanctions,” said Mr. Majidi.

He, however, did not deny that there are “people in the [Iranian] government who abuse power”. “[Mahmoud Reza] Khaveri, an Iranian banker, ran away with $1 billion. People were legitimately angry. Government tried to control it.”

About a decade ago, globally acclaimed filmmakers like Mohsen Makhmalbaf and Jafar Panahi were pulled up for making mildly critical films against Iran’s administration. Talking about his experience, Mr Majidi, said that only “a few persons” got into trouble. “More than 100 films are made in Iran and he [Makhmalbaf] was the only director to leave the country. He is a political figure… his approach to cinema is to establish a political point. But [Abbas] Kiarostami continued to stay in the country,” said Mr. Majidi.

Speaking about shooting in Mumbai, he said the experience was “satisfactory” but for one major “challenge”.

“Unlike in Tehran where we obtain single permission for a film’s shoot in the entire city, in Mumbai we had to ask for permission for every street. [Since] 70-80% of the film was shot in the outdoors, it was a big challenge,” said Mr. Majidi.