An Iranian actress has been slammed as "immoral" and banned from acting in her own country after daring to post pictures of herself without a hijab.

Sadaf Taherian posted the provocative pictures on Instagram in protest at repressive Iranian laws that require women to cover their hair in public.

She told the Voice of America's Persian language channel she had repeatedly been a victim of sexual harassment on set which gave her the courage to post the pictures.



She said: “I was nervous and worried about how people would react to my photos. Remembering my past gave me the confidence to post these photos. I recall visiting many film companies to sign a contract, but I would hear many inappropriate comments about my physical appearance."

The posts triggered outrage on social media in Iran, with pictures circulating of a hijab having been photoshopped onto her head.