Iranian Canadians in Vancouver voice concerns as Iran-U.S. tensions escalate

Iranian Canadians voice concerns Iranian Canadians living in Vancouver are watching events in the Middle East closely after a U.S. airstrike killed a top Iranian official.

VANCOUVER — Iranian Canadians living in Metro Vancouver are closely watching the events unfolding in the Middle East. On Thursday, the U.S. launched a targeted airstrike in Iraq, killing Qasem Soleimani, who was widely seen as the second-most-powerful figure in Iran. In the U.S., he was regarded as a terrorist.

“The truth is, he was not a very good person,” says human rights advocate Fred Soofi, an Iranian Canadian who also works with Amnesty International Canada.

“The way to kill him was not the right way, in my opinion," Soofi said. "He should have been arrested.”

Iran has vowed retaliation for the killing of Soleimani, and Soofi told CTV News Vancouver he is concerned about tensions between the two countries escalating.

“I hope nothing big happens, but on the other hand, Trump is unpredictable – as everybody knows – and Iran is desperate,” Soofi said. “They’re like a cat in the corner. There’s no way you can escape, so you fight.”

Those concerns were shared by Golnaz Vihamta, an Iranian student who has been living in Vancouver for a year.

“I’m a bit worried about my country and my people in the country," Vihamta said. “My mother, my other family, my sister, they’re all there and I’m a bit worried about them.”

Majid Rasouli is an Iranian political refugee who now lives in Vancouver. He predicts a strong response.

“We don’t know what’s going on, hopefully not war, but Iran doesn’t have anything to lose,” Rasouli said. “The Iranian government has to respond, we cannot leave U.S. unpunished because they killed the second-most-powerful man in Iran.”

Rallies were held in cities across Canada Saturday. In Ottawa, protesters called for the Canadian government to intervene and for Justin Trudeau to condemn the actions of the Trump Administration.

In Toronto, there were duelling protests. One group called for peace, the other praised the U.S. President.

“God bless Donald Trump,” one woman said.

Another man said, “I praise Mr. Donald Trump, openly. I stand with him and I thank him.”

NATO has suspended the Canadian-led training mission of Iraqi forces in the wake of the U.S. airstrike. About 250 Canadian Forces members are in Iraq as part of that mission and on Friday, Canada’s defence ministry said keeping those troops safe is paramount.