Like India, Iran was diverse. It was never an Islamic country: Elnaaz Norouzi

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Iran after weeks of threats from President Trump. In a Truth Social post, Trump said the goal of the operation is to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and “to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.” Trump urged Iranians to capitalize on the attack as the “only chance for generations” to take over their government. Israeli officials later confirmed that these Israeli American strikes on Tehran for regime change killed their Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran has retaliated with strikes on US bases across the middle east.

Actress Elnaaz Norouzi was born in Iran and stayed there for eight years before moving to Germany and eventually India for work. Barring her parents, her other family members still stay in Iran. She last visited the country in 2018. The actress shares her views about the ongoing war, reflecting on the deep emotional toll it has taken on ordinary Iranians and urges the world to distinguish between the country’s people and its political regime.





Majority of Iranians do not support the opperessive Islamic Republic regime

Elnaaz, who was a part of the second season of Apple TV's much acclaimed show Tehran, explains, “The conflict has existed for over 40 years. I was born in Tehran. I spent the first eight years of my life in Iran. Barring my parents, many members of my family still live there. I remember everything. My show Tehran captured the Iran-Israel conflict. Iran is not Iraq. When we speak about Iran, I would like to differentiate between the Islamic Republic, which has occupied the country and the people of Iran. Majority of the Iranian people are smart and educated, and their beliefs are not the same as those of the Islamic Republic. At one point, Iran had a great relationship with Israel. If you see Cyrus the Great, the man who wrote the first human rights in the world ever, he was Persian and he freed the Jews from Babylon. We even had a great relationship with USA during the time of Shah (Mohammad Reza Pahlavi). It is just the Islamic Republic that is constantly saying that they want to wipe Israel off the map. A month ago, many Iranians who protested against this regime were killed.”

She adds, “Iran is complex. What the Islamic Republic has done in Iran is not just create one Nicolás Maduro or Saddam Hussein. There is the supreme leader, (the late Khamenei), there are people and parties under him - Hezbollah, there is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), there is the Basij. They support and back the Houthis, Hamas. They are all intertwined. The Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, his name is being chanted all over Iran. People want democracy in Iran. The Gen Z knows exactly what's right for them. The older generation, our grandparents say they made a mistake years ago by asking for a regime change. ‘We had it so good during the times of Shah. It was secular and diverse,” they say.

‘I am not allowed to set foot in Iran’

Elnaaz, who is vocal about her opposition to the Islamic Republic, claims that she would be killed if she went back to Iran under their rule. She says, “I can’t set foot in Iran. If I do, I think they will kill me. I couldn’t go to Iran because of what happened during the 2022 movement, where they killed Mahsa Amini (a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman), whose death in police custody in September 2022, ignited widespread protests. Arrested by the morality police for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly, her death became a symbol of resistance against oppression. People went on the roads and said, we don't even want this f****** hijab, this is not ours. Back then, I spoke out against Khamenei and the regime, and my family got really worried for my safety. If people die in this war, I'm going to blame the Ayatollah because people have come out multiple times saying we do not want you and they did not leave. It is dictatorship. There are so many political prisoners who are people like you and me. If you speak up, they just put you in prison.”



‘There was a time when Iran was diverse’

While it would be naïve to believe that actions by the United States and Israel were carried out ‘in the interest of Iranians', the motivations behind these actions deserve critical examination. Elnaaz says, “For the past 40 years, a large population of Iranians go to sleep and wake up hoping that one day they are going to be freed from this regime. Just like in India, Iran had people from different religions, cultures and communities living there. It was diverse. Iran was never an Islamic country, it was largely Zoroastrian. Iran was Persia and Persia was Eurasian. Before the Arabs came in, Christians, Baha'is, and Russian expatriates lived in Iran. It wasn’t just for Muslims. You had the freedom to wear what you want to wear, say what you want to say. Iran needs democracy to go back to those times.”

‘Iranians have used cinema to speak about what is happening to them’

It’s a known fact that filmmakers are not allowed to shoot in Tehran, and Elnaaz hopes this changes. She states, “Of course, we have cinema in Tehran. Cinema has helped bring the truth and the voices of people to all over the world. And that has also been the medium that Iranians have used all over the years to speak about the atrocities that are happening in Iran. If you see there are multiple Iranian movies who have won Oscars, you know, and they are all about the terrible life that people are living in Iran. Look at Jafar Panahi, who was just nominated for an Oscar and the Golden Globes, he's not even allowed to film in Tehran anymore. Even our show Tehran was shot in Athens. Cinema can change the way you think so its considered a threat. Iranian people have no idea what freedom of speech is for the last 47 years. It's terrible. And it's so sad that the world has not taken as much notice as it should.”

'I hope my family is safe'

Elnaaz attributes her life and safety to her parents who chose to migrate to Germany years ago. The rest of her family however still stays in Iran. She says, “It’s a war situation so there’s an internet blackout and I haven't been able to reach my family since yesterday. I hope they are inside their homes and don’t get too excited because of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death. Iranians are getting on roads to celebrate and it risks their life. So I hope they stay indoors.” To those wondering why didn't they migrate as well, Elnaaz says its not easy. “Leaving your home behind is not easy. Not everyone has the means to move to another country. Filing for asylum is a complex, formal legal process that requires meeting specific criteria. Even the Iranians who have migrated are facing s*** in other countries. So uprooting an entire family from a country is not easy. If you can keep your mouth shut, you can live in Iran. It's still not as retarded as the Taliban. Women can open their businesses. Everyone’s educated but there are no jobs. The inflation is high. Some are taking loans to buy eggs. Suvival is an issue unless you have ties with the IRGC or such."

- Renuka.Vyavahare@timesofindia.com Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”