'D-Day for Iranians': Some Iranian Canadians welcome U.S. attack of Iran

Demonstrators react as unconfirmed reports emerged saying Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed, as they march in support of regime change in Iran during a protest in Richmond Hill, Ont., on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan

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 violently quashed anti-government protests that began in late December, sparked by an ongoing economic crisis in the country.

The Islamic Republic said more than 3,000 people died in the crackdowns 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. Outrage over the killings in turn sparked protests worldwide calling for regime change.

Soleh said it’s been hard to reach people inside Iran since the government imposed an internet blackout in response to protests, 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.

At a protest Saturday afternoon in Richmond Hill, Ont., organized by Afkhami and Iranian-Canadian boxer Salar Gholami, thousands marched and some danced as the planned demonstration took on new meaning following the overnight incursion.

A group of young protesters raised beer bottles in celebration of unconfirmed reports that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the attacks.

Many protesters spoke in support of U.S. intervention in Iran, as other protesters had done at earlier Iran rallies, where signs with Trump’s face and Israeli flags had been common sights.

But protesters Saturday also shared their concerns for family and friends in Iran as preliminary death tolls of the attack emerge.

Sepideh Saberi said she hasn’t spoken to her father and sister in Iran in three days because of internet blackouts.

“I’m so worried about them,” she said. “I cannot get in touch with them.”

According to protester Maziar Momeni, concerns about the safety of family members are nothing new in the Iranian diaspora.

“We have concerns for the safety of citizens, but we have not been safe for 47 years,” he said, referring to the 1979 Islamic Revolution that installed the current government. “Of course we are worried, but this is a war.”

Iranian state media, citing the Red Crescent, on Saturday evening said at least 201 people had been killed and more than 700 injured.

Iran has retaliated against the attack by firing missiles and drones toward Israel and U.S. military bases in the region.

As the attack on Iran unfolded, Trump urged the Iranian public to “seize control of your destiny” by rising up against the Islamic leadership.

In a video announcing the “major combat operations,” Trump told Iranians that “when we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.” call

--

with files from The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 28, 2026.

Kathryn Mannie, Sandra Ezekwesili, Fatima Raza, The Canadian Press