Iranian director Asghar Farhadi condemns both civilian deaths from US and Israeli air strikes on Iran and the Islamic Republic’s treatment of protesters, during his film premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. Speaking on Friday, Farhadi says he is rejecting the loss of civilian life attributed to US-Israeli attacks and also condemns what he describes as the “massacring” of protesters by Iran’s authorities. Both outlets report that Farhadi made these remarks while attending Cannes for the premiere of his latest film, “Parallel Tales,” a French-language work. France 24 and Al-Monitor describe Farhadi as an Oscar-winning director. Al-Monitor adds that he traveled from Tehran to Cannes before the remarks and that questions about developments in Iran placed him in a delicate position, given that the comments address both external military actions affecting the region and internal crackdown actions toward demonstrators. The reports present Farhadi’s statements as part of his public response to events in the war-hit Middle East, delivered in the context of his appearance at a major international film event.