Iranian-German actor Elnaaz Norouzi, known for ‘Sacred Games’ and ‘Tehran’, speaks about the Iran-Israel conflict, Ali Khamenei’s assassination, and decades of suffering under the regime, asserting that Mojtaba taking power would not change conditions for Iranians
Elnaaz Norouzi says freedom of speech never really existed in Iran. PIC/MANJEET THAKUR
Amid the growing unrest, Iranian-German actor Elnaaz Norouzi speaks exclusively with mid-day about the global turmoil, her stance on assassination, and the deep emotional impact of the conflict. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was reportedly assassinated on February 28 in a joint strike by the US and Israel, dramatically escalating tensions across West Asia. In response, Iran launched retaliatory attacks on US bases in the region, intensifying the crisis.
Excerpts from the interview
You recently mentioned how it is unsafe for you to go back to Iran...
The freedom of speech never really existed in Iran, and that is why we have so many political prisoners in Iran as well. Thousands of innocent people have been imprisoned, tortured, and raped because they have spoken against the government. Women have almost no rights in Iran. You’re not allowed in stadiums, and a woman’s statement in court is half as worth of what a man says. Women aren’t allowed to travel without the husband’s permission, and one cannot ask for a divorce easily.
Do you think the US-Israel strikes to eliminate Khamenei were fair?
As an Iranian born in Iran, who has lived under his real leadership and has family and friends living under his leadership, I will tell you that a dictator has been taken out… a terrorist who has taken many people’s lives has been taken out… a person who has chanted and has made millions of Iranians chant death to America for 47 years has been taken out… a person who’s been building nuclear bombs in hiding. This is a big win for the whole world. The world doesn’t understand it, but we understand because we’ve lived with it and we know it. Unfortunately, people just look at it through one lens, and that is, “Oh, he was a religious leader”. But being a religious leader doesn’t make you right when you do wrong.
What is your take on Iran being an Islamic-state vs a democracy debate?
I receive a lot of death threats, and many people disagree with me, but that brings us back to freedom of speech and the idea of live and let live. That’s all the Iranian people are asking for. We want to live the way we choose, and we are okay with letting others live as they wish. The problem is that a narrow mindset is forcing everyone to follow one way of life. This is not against religion. I have many Muslim friends whom I love and respect. Everyone simply wants equal respect and the freedom to decide for themselves.
Do you think women will feel free under Mojtaba Khamenei’s leadership?
Mojtaba, the son of Ali Khamenei, is another person who was not elected by the Iranian people. He supports the same barbaric thoughts that his father had. Iranians would like to choose their leader. We don’t want supreme leaders and certainly not someone we haven’t chosen. In a democratic world in 2026, people of a country of over 90 million should be deciding for themselves, and they want the crown prince Reza Pahlavi back.
Where do you think is the end to this conflict?
The end of the wars in the Middle East will come with the end of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This regime has created unrest across the region by funding proxies like Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis with billions taken from Iran’s oil and tax money. Iranians don’t benefit from their own resources. When people protested against high gas prices in 2019, it was because wealth was being diverted to Hamas. So once you remove the Islamic Republic of Iran, this regime, the Ayatollahs, once you remove the clerics, there will be peace all over the Middle East because all the funding is going to be gone, and all of those terrorist groups will crumble because they’ll not have any resources.
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