Tehran - Iran on Sunday faced calls from celebrities and rights groups to free actor Taraneh Alidoosti, one of the most prominent figures yet arrested in its crackdown on the threemonth protest movement. Alidoosti, 38, was arrested on Saturday, official media said, after a string of social media posts supporting the protest movement including removing her headscarf and condemning the execution of protesters. The crackdown was sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, 22, which the morality police accused of violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code for women. Iran blames the United States and other “enemies” for trying to destabilise the country by fuelling the protests. Alidoosti has considerable international renown due to her performances in award-winning films by director Asghar Farhadi, including the Oscar- winning 2016 film ‘The Salesman’. She attended this year’s Cannes Film Festival to promote the acclaimed movie “Leila’s Brothers” in which she starred. “The brave actress of Iran got arrested,” fellow actor Golshifteh Farahani wrote on Instagram. Farahani began her career in Iran but now lives in exile after falling out with the authorities. “Taraneh Alidoosti is one of Iran’s most talented and acclaimed actors … I hope she’s free to keep representing the strength of Iranian cinema soon,” Cameron Bailey, head of the Toronto International Film Festival, said on Twitter. Prominent British actor of Iranian origin Nazanin Boniadi also took to social media in support of Alidoosti, saying she had been arrested for “posting a photo of herself without compulsory hijab in solidarity with the protestors.”