"If the man is caught we will jail him for at least six months, up to a year,"
said an Iranian judiciary official who declined to be named. "He will face
charges of distributing immoral material."
But worse could come for the young woman.
Pictures of an actress, dressed in the close fitting Islamic headscarf
mandatory in Iranian state television productions, have been splashed across
the front pages connecting her with the sex scenes. The soap star, in her 20s,
denies she appears in the film and media reports she has tried to kill herself
since.
"It depends on finding out whether she had a deliberate role in the case," the
judiciary official told Reuters. "If so, it is going to be dealt with as a case
of corruption and prostitution."
Those convicted of such crimes can face a range of punishments ranging from
lashes to imprisonment or even death if the woman is married and is thus
committing adultery.
An Iranian woman was stoned to death in 2001 for appearing in a home-made
pornographic movie, though authorities have since officially banned stoning.
Investigators examining that film tracked the woman down by reading the number
on the electricity meter in the background of the film.
At the very least, this latest film is likely to ruin the actress's career. One
Iranian actor was barred from television after he was filmed dancing with a
woman at a wedding party.
