Some Iranian Canadians are expressing their support for foreign intervention in Iran after the U.S. and Israel launched a major attack on the Middle Eastern country, sending missiles into Iran overnight.
Iranian Canadian filmmaker Ezra Soleh welcomed the attack, saying the people of Iran have had enough of “a regime that has been massacring people, killing people by the thousands.”
Iran’s recent violent crackdowns on anti-government protests resulted in more than 3,000 deaths according to the government, but U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in counting deaths during previous rounds of unrest in Iran, put the death toll at over 7,000.
Soleh said it’s been hard to reach people inside Iran since the government imposed an internet blackout, but he said people inside the country are welcoming the invasion.
“They know this surgery has to be done for the cancer to be removed,” he said.
Pouria Afkhami, one of the lead organizers of recent Iran protests that have seen hundreds of thousands take to Toronto’s streets, said he managed to get in contact with friends inside Iran who are rejoicing in the wake of the attack.
“People came out to the street and started dancing,” he said, noting that some of his friends have been stockpiling food and other supplies in anticipation of a foreign attack.
U.S. President Donald Trump had threatened military action over the killing of peaceful demonstrators, but held off. He justified the current military action by claiming that Iran has continued to develop its nuclear program and plans to develop missiles to reach the U.S.
Ardeshir Zarezadeh, a former Iranian political prisoner who fled the country for Canada, said the U.S.-Israel attack is a best-case scenario for both Iranians seeking an end to government repression, as well as Western powers aiming to halt Iran’s nuclear program.
“If there is a free country … there will be no nuclear bomb,” he said. “It will be beneficial for everyone in the Middle East and obviously for international peace.”
Zarezadeh, who is also president of the Toronto-based International Centre for Human Rights, called the killing of protesters in Iran a “crime against humanity” and said the international community had a duty to step in.
Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada supports the U.S. action in Iran and called the Islamic Republic the “principal source of instability and terror throughout the Middle East” and said it must never be able to develop a nuclear weapon.
Mason Ghafghazi, an Iranian-born engineering professor at the University of Toronto, said he wants to see the Canadian government recognize Iran’s exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi as a transitional leader to avoid a power vacuum in Iran if the Islamic regime falls in the current conflict.
Ghafghazi said despite worries of violence as the U.S. and Israel continue their attack, this is a joyous moment for Iranians — and he hopes other Canadians see it that way.
“A lot of us Canadians aren’t very happy with President Trump for obvious reasons. A lot of us have our problems with the way Israel reacted in the aftermath of Oct. 7. But … this is an evil regime. This is like D-Day for Iranians,” he said.
Meanwhile, other Canadians have been voicing their opposition to the attack.
Advocacy group Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East said the missile strikes were an “act of aggression, a violation of the UN Charter, and a major threat to security.”
Alexandre Boulerice, NDP foreign affairs critic, issued a statement saying the party strongly condemns the bombings of Iran.
He said it risks dragging the entire region into a major conflict.
He called the Iranian regime “reprehensible” but says its nuclear program must be managed through the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
— with files from The Associated Press
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 28, 2026.
The Canadian Press
