 The film 's portrayal of ancient Persians caused a particularly strong reaction in Iran . <unk> Moaveni of Time reported that Tehran was " outraged " following the film 's release . Moaveni identified two factors which may have contributed to the intense reaction : its release on the eve of Nowruz , the Persian New Year , and the common Iranian view of the Achaemenid Empire as " a particularly noble page in their history . " Various Iranian officials condemned the film . The Iranian Academy of the Arts submitted a formal complaint against the film to UNESCO , labelling it an attack on the historical identity of Iran . The Iranian mission to the U.N. protested the film in a press release , and Iranian embassies protested its screening in France , Thailand , Turkey , and Uzbekistan . The film was banned within Iran as " hurtful American propaganda " . Reviewers in the United States and elsewhere " noted the political overtones of the West @-@ against @-@ Iran story line and the way Persians are depicted as decadent , sexually flamboyant and evil in contrast to the noble Greeks " . With bootleg versions of the film already available in Tehran with the film 's international release and news of the film 's surprising success at the U.S. box office , it prompted widespread anger in Iran . <unk> Moaveni of Time reported , " All of Tehran was outraged . Everywhere I went yesterday , the talk vibrated with indignation over the film " . Newspapers in Iran featured headlines such as " Hollywood declares war on Iranians " and " 300 AGAINST 70 <unk> " ( Iran 's population ) . <unk> @-@ No , an independent Iranian newspaper , said that " [ t ] he film depicts Iranians as demons , without culture , feeling or humanity , who think of nothing except attacking other nations and killing people " . Four Iranian Members of Parliament have called for Muslim countries to ban the film , and a group of Iranian film makers submitted a letter of protest to UNESCO regarding the film 's alleged misrepresentation of Iranian history and culture . Iran 's cultural advisor to president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called the film an " American attempt for psychological warfare against Iran " . 
