Members of Montreal’s Iranian community are watching events unfold in Iran with a mix of fear, hope and uncertainty.
Coordinated strikes by the United States and Israel over the weekend killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of other senior figures, triggering deadly retaliation and raising the risk of a wider regional war.
“When we heard about the Supreme Leader of Iran, we were so happy because he killed many of Iranian during these years,” said Iranian activist Hessam Sobhani.
“We are dreaming of this and for us it was impossible for our lifetime and that’s why we are so grateful toward (Donald) Trump and (Benjamin) Netanyahu,” said Mandana Javan, a Quebecer of Iranian origin.
“Of course, we’re not supporting the war, but military integration is the only solution we have right now. And without it, it would be done,” added Ayrik Armani, an organizer with Iranian Youth House Montreal.
“Every day we would wake up, praying that another country or something would help us from this nightmare,” said Reza Abtahian, an Iranian Canadian.
With Khamenei gone, the Islamic Republic must choose a new Supreme Leader for the first time since 1989. Iran has formed a temporary three-member leadership council and says a successor could be named within days.
Many in Montreal hope Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah, could lead a transition government. Over the weekend, Iranian Quebecers rallied in Montreal and Quebec City, waving pre-revolutionary flags and holding photos of Pahlavi.
Meanwhile, the conflict is spreading. Iran has launched strikes on Israel and targeted U.S. bases in the region across a number of Arab nations.
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For many Iranian Montrealers, this moment is deeply personal.
Javan, who left Iran in her 20s, says the trauma of growing up after the 1979 Revolution still lingers.
“Since I was five, six years old, I remember for the school they put a cover, very heavy thing on my head, black and very thick. And I, even now, I can’t leave the emotion of that trauma,” she said.
Others, like Abtahian, say they witnessed recent protests first-hand, describing blackouts, crackdowns and executions in the streets.“I witnessed stuff that was happening in Iran,” Abtahian said. “I was one of the people on the streets. And we saw the horror, the terrifying things that were happening on the streets. You know, kids, students, young, old people on the ground, dead bodies.
“For 47 years, we’ve been told what to work, how to act, how to behave.”
Added ArmanI: “As an Iranian, I can say that 50 years ago, we were one step ahead of what we are right now.”
Speaking from the White House Monday, Trump said the war had been projected to last four to five weeks, but that the U.S. has the capacity to stay longer.
“We want our history, we want our people, we want our infrastructure,” Sobhani said. “We only want to change the regime; we don’t want to have a ruined country.”
“This is not only a fight for Iran. This is a fight for humanity,” added Armani.
