WASHINGTON: The United States, long at loggerheads with Iran over its nuclear aims and crackdown on political dissent, praised Iranian film director Asghar Farhadi for his Oscar win.

US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the best foreign language film award for his movie “A Separation” pointed to the “vibrancy and historical greatness” of Iran's independent film industry.

“My topper message is simply on behalf of all of us, to congratulate Iranian film director Asghar Farhadi on his Oscar win...,” Nuland told reporters at the start of the daily news briefing.

“This is the first time that an Iranian has won the Oscar,” she said. “And this is a film that really gives the world an invaluable picture of life in Iran. We applaud his achievement and celebrate the vibrancy and historical greatness of the independent film industry in Iran.”

The movie — a deep social expose of the Islamic republic of today in a simple story starting with a divorce — explores themes of love, lies, honour and unintended consequences with psychological nuance.

In his acceptance speech, Farhadi referred to the current tension and talk of possible conflict between the Islamic republic and the West, notably over Iran's controversial nuclear program.

The United States has spearheaded toughening UN and other international economic sanctions against Iran over its refusal to stop a nuclear program it suspects is designed to produce a nuclear weapon.