📌 Key Points
- Mandana Karimi clarifies she’s banned from Iran and cannot return despite current conflict.
- She expresses frustration at lack of support in India until Khamenei’s death became a talking point.
- Karimi states she’s been inactive in movies for six years, emphasizing her Iranian identity matters.
- She highlights her efforts to amplify Iranian voices amid ongoing violence and safety concerns.
Actress Mandana Karimi reveals she is banned from Iran and will be leaving India. She voices her disappointment over the delayed support from India regarding the Iranian crisis, particularly after the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Mandana Karimi: Banned from Her Homeland
Actor Mandana Karimi has been expressing her frustration with the current situation in India amid the US-Iran conflict. It all started after Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a joint strike by the United States and Israel last week. The assassination of Ali Khamenei in missile strikes from the US and Israel has plunged the Middle East into a full-blown conflict. Born in Iran, Mandana has now taken to her Instagram account to clarify her interview statements to state that she will not move to Iran because she was banned there a decade ago.
She said, “I have been banned from Iran 10 years ago. I cannot go back to Iran. Yes, I am leaving India; I am moving out of India, but I am not going back to Iran. I am upset at India because for the past few months, I didn’t get any support in India, and suddenly, when Khamenei is dead, when Israel and America’s name has come into the picture, everyone has an opinion in India. Everyone is on the streets, and they can actually mourn for Khamenei, which I couldn’t do it, and I still cannot do it.”
Frustration Over Delayed Support from India
She went on to add, “Because of the security reasons, I have been stuck at one place, and none of my even closest friends have my location because of safety reason, and still I am trying to talk to the media to amplify the voices of Iranians the ones who are still getting killed. The last thing… I haven’t been acting in movies for the past six years. That was my decision to stop acting in movies. So many of you guys are saying why do you have an opinion? I have an opinion because I am Iranian. I know what is happening in my country, I was born and raised there and I left at the age of 18.”
In the caption, Mandana added, “But it should be obvious to anyone with basic understanding that I cannot return to Iran right now — there is war, there is danger, and I am banned. This is not complicated. But many prefer not to listen, because listening does not create sensational headlines. What matters is the truth about the Islamic Republic and why this regime must end. What matters is the voice of Iranians who are risking everything for freedom.”
Amplifying Iranian Voices Amidst Conflict
Meanwhile, massive explosions were reported on Thursday in Iran’s southern port city of Bandar Abbas. Reports said the blasts occurred near Bandar-e Bahonar in the First Naval Zone of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, close to the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Iran reported a fresh wave of strikes beginning around midnight. Loud explosions were heard in eastern Tehran, with shockwaves felt across parts of the capital, though the exact targets were not immediately clear.
Mandana’s decision to leave India stems from a feeling of abandonment and frustration over the selective attention given to the Iranian situation. Her focus remains on supporting her people’s voices and ensuring their safety amidst ongoing turmoil.
