Actress Barred from Leaving Iran

Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani has been barred from leaving her native country after starring in a Hollywood film without permission, Iranian news agency IRNA reports.

Farahani joins Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe in Ridley Scott's new film, Body of Lies.

It is alleged that Farahani failed to acquire the correct permit from the Iranian government necessary for actors to appear in foreign films.

The actress was stopped as she attempted to board a Los Angeles-bound plane.

Farahani, 25, was due to meet with directors and casting agents on arrival.

This is not the first controversy Farahani, one of Iran's most popular actresses, has stirred up. She played the wife of a drug addict in Santouri, in 2007, a film which was criticized and subsequently banned in Iran for presenting a negative image of Iranian society.

Body of Lies follows the story of a CIA agent sent to Jordan on the trail of an al-Qaeda leader.

The film is due for release on October 10, 2008.