The makers of Oscar-winning film Argo could be sued by the Irananian authorities over the film's "unrealistic portrayal" of the country.

Argo, which took home best film at this year's Oscars, depicts the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis and tells the story of how the CIA organised a fake film crew to help rescue Americans who were being held at the US embassy in Tehran.

Irananian officials have reportedly hired French lawyer Isabelle Coutant-Peyre who, according to The Guardian, has said: "I'll be defending Iran against films that have been made by Hollywood to distort the country's image, such as Argo."

The film, which was directed and produced by Ben Affleck, hasn't been screening in Iranian cinemas but has still managed to divide opinion in the country, with many declaring that it depicts Iranians as too violent and dubbing the film as anti-Iran propaganda.

When it comes to facing legal action, Argo isn't alone. Hit US drama Homeland was recently threatened with a lawsuit by the Lebanese government who accused the show's producers of "not portraying reality" and misrepresenting Beirut as a "non-secure zone."