Amid the growing unrest, Iranian-German actor Elnaaz Norouzi speaks exclusively to 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 United States and Israel, dramatically escalating tensions across the West Asia. In response, Iran launched retaliatory attacks on US bases in the region, intensifying the crisis.
Q You recently mentioned how it is unsafe for you to go back, has opposing the leader equivalent to losing the freedom of speech in Iran?
A: The freedom of speech never really existed in Iran and that is why we have so many political prisoners in Iran as well. There are thousands of innocent people who have been imprisoned, tortured, raped because they have spoken against the government. At this point it has surpassed the point of women and men but yes if we talk about specifically about women, women have almost no rights in Iran starting from the morality police going after them constantly, starting with the fact that as a woman you`re not allowed in stadiums. As a woman in court your statement is half as worth of what a man says. As a woman you`re not allowed to travel without your husband`s permission. As a woman you cannot ask for a divorce easily.
Q Do you think US-Israel strikes to eliminate Khamenei were fair?
A: If you ask me as an Iranian who has who was born in Iran who has lived in Iran who has lived under his real leadership who has family who`s living under his leadership who has friends who are living under his leadership I will tell you that a dictator has been taken out a terrorist that has taken many 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. To attack the American people and America and the Israelian people in Israel for years and years has been taken out this is a big win for the whole world it`s just that the world doesn`t understand we understand it because we`ve lived with it and we know it but unfortunately the people just look at it from 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 right.
Q Amid the conflict between Iran being an Islamic-state or a Democracy, what is your take?
A: 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 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. Iran is home to Muslims, Christians, Baha’is, Zoroastrians and more. Everyone simply wants equal respect and the freedom to decide for themselves.
Q Mojtaba Khamenei is now the new leader: Do you think women will feel free under new leadership?
A: Mojtaba becoming the new leader. He is the son of Ali Khamenei he is another person that was not elected by the Iranian people again the safety is still at the mark yes because he has the same views. He supports the same barbaric thoughts that his father had and besides any of that Iranians are saying we would like to choose our leader ourselves we don`t want supreme leaders we don`t want somebody who we have not chosen that`s the only thing why since when in a democratic world in 2026 should anybody else decide who rules over 90 million people the people should be deciding that for themselves and the people have decided they want the crown prince Reza Pahlavi back.
Q Iran-Israel conflict has been a long war, and the country has lost enough, where do you think is the end to this?
A: The end of the wars in the West Aisa 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 our oil and tax money. Iranians don’t benefit from our own resources. When people protested high gas prices in 2019, it was because that 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 West Asia because all the funding is going to be gone and all of those terrorist groups will crumble right because they`ll not have any resource.
