Members of Canada’s Iranian community have been both stricken with worry and cautiously hopeful since the United States and Israel began attacking targets in the Islamic Republic last week, killing the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei – worried over the fate of friends and relatives in Iran, hopeful that the harsh theocratic regime that many of them fled might be coming to an end. In their own words, this is how six Iranians across Canada are feeling.
Golesorkh Pezeshkzad, 30, Vancouver
Director of studies at a language school; left Iran in 2019
‘Right after this photo was taken, a man came to me and told me to fix my hijab,’ Ms. Pezeshkzad says of this 2017 trip to Iran's Niavaran Palace, the Shah’s former residence.Courtesy of Golesorkh Pezeshkzad
I’m over the moon that the Supreme Leader is out. I can’t describe how happy I am. I thought I would never see the day he leaves this planet. That’s how bigger-than-life evil he was to me and to everyone that I know. It’s something that I’ve been looking forward to my entire life.
Of course I’m beyond worried for innocent people. I know that the goal is not to injure or affect civilians, but you know it’s inevitable. It’s scary – it’s bombs, it’s missiles. But I can’t say that the war is the only thing that scares me. What really scares me is that the Islamic Republic stays in power. That’s what really, really is scaring me to my core.
I am a passionate Trump hater, but he’s doing the right thing. This man is all of the things that I despise. And now he’s defeating my enemy. How am I supposed to feel about it? I don’t know. I don’t know how I feel about people waving American flags and thanking Trump. But diplomacy has proven itself not to work in this case. You’ve got to understand the sheer desperation of a nation to call for bombs. It’s sheer desperation for Iranians. There was no other option. We know that Iranians can’t defeat the government. You saw what the outcome was like. People went out peacefully and were slaughtered, absolutely slaughtered.
Nikoo Mansourifar, 43, Halifax
Musician and after-school program leader, mother of two daughters; left Iran with her husband in 2016
The feeling of being in the war is not just now for us. We have always been in a battle. Even when I was in high school, there were protests and they were killing people, arresting people. We have schoolmates who are in jail now, just for not accepting this regime.
Almost all my family is there. Everybody is frightened. My mom told me there was a Basij [volunteer paramilitary force] centre close to their home, less than a five-minute walk away. They attacked there three times and all the windows were shaking. Shooting at these kind of centres, anything related to the regime – damage to houses and shops, stores, everything around them, it’s inevitable.
I do not like to keep my phone in my hand, following the news, because of my girls. I have to pretend everything is normal. I cannot explain war for them. That their beloved ones – Grandma and Grandpa – are in danger. But it’s hard. We are experiencing all the emotions at the same time. We are happy those bad guys are dead. We are worried about family. We are worried about all the people in Iran. We are worried if the war continues. And these are every day and every hour in our minds.
We came to Canada because of the limitations. I played daf – it’s a hand drum. Especially for women, music was banned. A woman’s voice is not allowed in public. Instruments were not allowed to be shown on TV. So there are many groups working in basements, hidden, or having concerts just for women.
When we were kids, we were always worried about what we wear, what we say, how we talk, how we walk, where we go, who we talk to. The new generation is different but still carrying the old worries we had. So I want them to be free of that, allowed to say what they think.
When I came to Canada, my friends were asking me, “What do you like about it?” I said, “The thing I love about Canada is that people are respected as humans.” I wish and I hope for my country, Iran, to get to the point that every person is respected as a human.
Reza Dehaki, 41, Calgary
Communications specialist and former Iranian journalist; left Iran in 2024
My thoughts and my feelings about the situation in Iran are as complex as the situation itself. As a former journalist, I tend to look at the broader picture because I know many Iranians I talk to try to simplify the issue based on political preferences or opinions. I navigate between my personal life, my professional perspective and my ideals.
On a personal level, I am worried about my family and friends and all the people in Iran. Missile explosions do not discriminate based on people’s views. I am also concerned about the secondary consequences of war, such as economic fallout and access to basic necessities.
When it comes to my ideals, I’m against war because I was born during the Iran-Iraq war. For me, it’s not just a theory, it comes from life experience. Every human life is precious. In my ideal world, the Islamic Republic just steps down in response to the people without any foreign attack or internal violence. But it is not an ideal world.
In my view, the Islamic Republic should go because of its consistent stance against freedom and human dignity, its disastrous record in political, international, economic, social and cultural affairs, and the many crimes it has committed.
Now that this war has happened, the outcome is more important than stopping it at any cost. What matters is how this ends politically for the people of Iran and whether it leads to more repression or real change. That’s my professional point of view.
We must find a path that moves the country away from dictatorship into democracy and freedom.
Mehdi Fallahi, 74, Ottawa
Founder and host of Ottawa Persian Radio (Namaashoum); left Iran in 1990
Mr. Fallahi scrolls through his photos to date the last contact with his sister, who lives in Iran with her two sons.Alexa Mazzarello/The Globe and Mail
We are in a very, very difficult and frustrating situation. We are in a very confusing situation. On one hand, people do not want this regime. People hate this regime. And the people want this regime to go. On the other hand, people have done everything without any result. They have organized the most peaceful demonstrations, and they have been tortured and killed.
Just two months ago, people came to the streets to protest about their situation. And they were brutally murdered and massacred; more than 30,000 people were massacred in only 10 hours. And tens of thousands of people have been imprisoned and tortured.
What can we do? And now we are being hit by the U.S. and Israel.
Of course, we are happy that the Supreme Leader is gone. We are happy. On the other hand, at the same time as the Supreme Leader and some of his people were hit, an elementary school was hit. And 168 very young children were murdered.
Can I be happy? Do I have the time to be happy?
The hope is … these people go away and people can rule their own destiny; democracy comes back to my country and people can rule their own destiny. They do whatever they want. Just the people of Iran. That’s my hope. But unfortunately, I don’t see light at the end of the tunnel very clearly at this point.
Roya Dehghani, 63, Hamilton
Family physician; left Iran in 1978
Most of my patients come and ask me how my family is and they say, “We’re sorry that this has happened.” I tell them not to be sorry because we are actually happy that this has happened. Iranians are thinking that it doesn’t matter, even if I’m killed, I don’t mind as long as the next generation is going to be free and be able to live. Because, right now, there is no life. Everybody is a dead man walking.
For 15 years, I lived under Shah [Mohammad Reza Pahlavi], the father of the Crown Prince, [Reza Pahlavi]. As a four-year-old, I used to play in the streets at 9 o’clock at night. You can imagine how secure a country must be for you to be able to move from one city to another and every city is just as secure as the previous one and my father had to move a lot. This is how safe and happy people were. They had jobs. I mean, anybody who knows about Iran knows they had too many jobs, so they had to bring people from outside.
I want that again: It was prosperous, we had no inflation, it was a rich country.
Instead, everybody is trying to get out of that place because it’s so unsafe and there is no freedom. This is not a life. That’s why I said that, whatever happens, it cannot be worse than what it is right now. When you hit rock bottom, there is nowhere else to go but up.
Maryam Mazrooei, Vancouver
Artist, war photographer and journalist; left Iran in 2022
In a photo displayed at the exhibition, Ms. Mazrooei holds two placards at a Vancouver rally, honouring men killed by the regime in Iran. One was her cousin, the other a friend's husband.Courtesy of Maryam Mazrooei
I don’t like my country being bombed. It’s complicated. I don’t know if anyone can really understand us, maybe not even people in Venezuela, because the U.S. simply went and took their president. We are crying, believe me.
But Iranians inside are asking, “What choice is left when we have tried every possible path and nothing worked?” Last night I was watching missile strikes on the place where I was once detained and tortured.
But the biggest risk is that this regime stays in power, but wounded. This is the fear in Iran – it’s not about the bombing and missiles.
Once it’s safe, I hope people take over the street. These are very civilized people. People are trying to come inside the country now. That’s something. We don’t abandon our homeland lightly.
We are hoping for a smooth transition to a democracy. The most prominent figure in this effort is Mr. [Reza] Pahlavi. He says he wants to serve as a bridge during the transition. I hope that in the end everything works out with the people inside the country.
For the first time, me and people inside Iran, we are hopeful. If Iran became safe and got rid of this brutal, bloodthirsty regime, the region would be safe. The world would be safe. We believe in that. We will help to build that country again.
Interviews have been edited for length and clarity.