Iran plans to sue Hollywood over Ben Affleck movie

Argo tells the escape of 5 American hostages from Iran in 1979 Tehran – Arabstoday Iranian authorities are planning to sue Hollywood over the Oscar-winning movie Argo because of its 'unrealistic portrayal' of the country, according to local media reports. Several news outlets in the country, including the pro-reform Shargh daily, said today that French lawyer Isabelle Coutant-Peyre meeting with officials to discuss how and where to file the lawsuit.
Ms Coutant-Peyre is also the lawyer for notorious Venezuelan-born terrorist Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, known as Carlos the Jackal.
The decision on the lawsuit reportedly came after a group of Iranian cultural officials and movie critics screened the film in a closed audience in a Tehran cinema late last night.
Argo, which won the Best Picture Oscar this year, tells the story of the escape of six American hostages from the besieged US Embassy in Tehran in 1979.
 The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance met for a one-day conference called 'The Hoax of Hollywood' on Monday night, according to the Tehran Times.
It said the 'distortion of historical facts' in films including 300 and Argo prompted them to meet.
Conference secretary Mohammad Lesani was quoted as saying: “One of the main aims of the meeting is to unify all cultural communities in Iran against the attacks of the West, particularly Hollywood.”
The website also reported that the conference intends to send a statement to the Human Rights Council on the matter.
Last month Iranian officials dismissed Argo as pro-CIA, anti-Iran propaganda and state television called it an 'advertisement for the CIA'.
The semi-state run Mehr news agency also accused the Oscars of being “politically motivated” because Michelle Obama helped present the award.
Mohammed Hosseini, Iran's Culture Minister, described the film as a 'distorted history'.
Argo has been banned from Iranian cinemas, but bootleg copies are believed to be available.