Iranian Actor Elnaaz Norouzi To NDTV After Mojtaba Named Iran's New Supreme Leader: 'Khamenei's Son Not Chosen By People'

In an exclusive chat with NDTV today, Iran-born actor Elnaaz Norouzi, best known for Sacred Games, spoke about the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict and what lies ahead for her homeland after the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 

The actor, who hold a German citizenship, also reflected about the Iran authorities choosing Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the new Supreme Leader without listening to the people of the country. She also told NDTV about the time her family decided to leave Iran. Towards the end, she shared message of hope for fellow Iranians caught in this conflict for ages.

Elnaaz on Connecting With Her Family After US-Israel Attacked Iran

On February 28, the US and Israel launched a coordinated military attack on Iran, leading to the assassination of its Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and triggering unrest in Gulf countries. Iran retaliated, and the conflict has entered its fifth day.

NDTV asked Elnaaz if she could connect with her family and friends living in Iran.

"At the moment, I don't have any communication with my family or friends in Iran as there's a blackout again. There's always unrest in Iran. We do know that we were told to stay at home and not go out, so all the civilians stay safe. That's what our President Trump has said. Our Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi said everybody should be inside their homes-that's how they are safe. So when the protests happened in January or December, people felt more unsafe then than they are feeling now during the war," Elnaaz told NDTV.

Elnaaz on Mojtaba Khamenei Being Elected New Supreme Leader Of Iran

Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been elected as Iran's next Supreme Leader, reports said.

He was chosen as Khamenei's successor by Iran's Assembly of Experts, reports added.

Asked about the newly chosen leader, Elnaaz said people coming to power are not chosen by Iranians and it's not a problem of a month or a year; it's been happening for 47 years.

"Just like the past 47 years, people who are coming to power that Iranian people have not chosen. The same happened with Ali Khamenei; now there's another supreme leader coming in that Iran has not chosen. The whole point is that Iranians have been trying to say for many, many years - 47 years, to be precise - that we want to choose our leader. We would like to vote," Elnaaz said.

"In 2009, there was a huge protest. Millions of people came out on the roads, chanting 'Where is our vote?' A lot of people died in that. People realised this is not the person we voted for, but this is the person who has come to office now.

"This has been going on for 47 years. They are choosing another leader now. They had chosen a leader that none of the Iranians knew. They killed Khamenei. Now his son is going to be the supreme leader. We have no comments on that. We have no say," Elnaaz added.

When Elnaaz's Family Decided to Leave Iran

Elnaaz has been working in India since 2018. Asked when her parents decided to leave Iran, Elnaaz said she was born into this "mess".

"I don't think there's a moment when my parents realised they needed to leave. During my childhood, they realised it when the revolution took place in 1979. I was born into this whole mess. Many other Iranians were born into this mess. As long as I remember, my parents were talking about leaving Iran as life was already getting terrible there.

"Unfortunately, that's such a sad part of our life that more than 5 million in the Iranian diaspora live in America, Australia, Europe-all over the world-because they don't have great lives in Iran. Whenever I see it, my heart bleeds that people in Iran didn't have a chance to live their lives. It's a conversation going on for 47 years," she said.

The actor said both her and her parents' generation have been going through the same "mess".

"The generation after me is living it. Unfortunately, you can't make 90 million people leave their country. So what you have to do is get the country back. Iranians have been trying forever," Elnaaz said.

Message for Fellow Iranians

"Stay strong. Stay in your homes. Hope for better days. All Iranians know there's no better way out: there's a protest, the regime retaliates by killing innocent people, civilians go back to their usual lives with no jobs, no security, and having to buy eggs with loans," Elnaaz said in her message to fellow Iranians.

Elnaaz added, "All we can hope is that the world understands-we need help; we are empty-handed. The only problem is right now everybody cares about it because of the war."

Elnaaz has worked in films like Kandahar (2022), Devil: The British Secret Agent (2023), Tehran (2025), and Mastiii 4 (2025). She has also acted in web shows like Made in Heaven, The Traitors, and Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond, to name a few.

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