Members of Iranian, Jewish communities in Manitoba react to escalating conflict after U.S. attacks on Iran

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 22, 2025 9:11 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

A time aft the U.S. bombed 3 atomic sites successful Iran, 1 Iranian Canadian group came retired successful condemnation of the attacks arsenic an escalation of hostilities, portion a assemblage organizer viewed the strikes as a pathway to authorities alteration successful Iran.

Iranian atomic facilities successful Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz were struck by the U.S. connected Saturday successful what officials hailed arsenic an overwhelming occurrence that obliterated Tehran's atomic ambitions.

The cognition comes much than a week aft Israel targeted Iran's Defence Ministry headquarters, igniting an speech of rocket attacks betwixt the 2 countries. 

Washington's engagement successful the Israel-Iran warfare pushes the Middle East to the brink of a large caller conflict, successful a portion already aflame for much than 20 months with wars successful Gaza and Lebanon and a toppled dictator successful Syria.

Iran's Foreign Ministry said the U.S. had "betrayed diplomacy" with the subject strikes successful enactment of Israel.

Arian Arianpour, a assemblage organizer and erstwhile president of the Iranian Community of Manitoba, said helium doesn't presumption the U.S. airstrikes connected the atomic facilities arsenic an onslaught connected Iran and its citizens, but connected the rulers of the Islamic Republic — and said the strikes whitethorn beryllium a pathway to interruption distant from them. 

Arianpour said elections, protests and betterment efforts haven't resulted successful political changes, adjacent arsenic they person enactment Iranian citizens that talk retired astatine hazard of retaliation from the regime's leaders.

"This war, arsenic achy arsenic it mightiness be, mightiness contiguous an accidental to decorativeness the occupation that ... people person started decades ago," Arianpour said.

"They [Iranians] person been suffering nether a authorities that they did not want, and present they are suffering from a warfare they did not choose."

Iran's lone viable way guardant is to guarantee a dismantling of its ruling regime, Arianpour said. 

External attacks to Iran mightiness weaken the government's capableness to besides ace down connected interior dissent, helium added.

"Iranians, whether wrong oregon extracurricular the country, bash privation to spot this authorities end," Arianpour said.

On Sunday, a nationalist Iranian-Canadian advocacy radical condemned the U.S. attacks connected Iran. 

In a statement, the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) said the strikes "recklessly ran the hazard of untold harm to Iran's colonisation with atomic fallout by bombing civilian atomic infrastructure sites." 

The nationalist non-profit enactment called connected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to assistance de-escalate the struggle and instrumentality a basal against the strikes. 

"We powerfully impulse Mark Carney's authorities to amusement immoderate backbone, perceive to Canadian citizens' calls to not impact our state successful U.S. and Israeli aggression, and enactment successful accordance with Canadian and International instrumentality to avert further escalation of war," the ICC wrote.

On Sunday, Carney said successful a connection connected societal media that Iran's atomic programme is "a sedate menace to planetary security", and portion the U.S. subject enactment was designed to alleviate the threat, the concern successful the Middle East remains highly volatile. 

The Canadian authorities is calling for a diplomatic solution to extremity the crisis, Carney's connection said. 

'Not an casual clip for Jews successful Winnipeg'

Jeff Lieberman, the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg's CEO, said Iran's authorities has been a menace to Israel's information and the enactment supports the U.S. bombing of atomic sites successful an effort to marque the satellite "a safer spot for everyone."

He besides said the enactment wants bid successful the portion and it "would beryllium a bully happening if they could commencement to effort to negotiate." 

"The past happening that I deliberation that anybody wants is to spot guiltless people, whether they're Iranians oregon they're Israelis, get wounded oregon killed," Lieberman said. 

In the meantime, Lieberman said Israel is inactive successful information from Iranian missiles evading the country's aerial defences and slamming into civilian areas. 

"It's not an casual clip for Jews successful Winnipeg," Lieberman said. 

Gustavo Zentner, vice-president for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), said Iran's atomic programme besides poses a menace to Canada and its allies. 

"It is captious to punctual Canadians that the Iran contented is not conscionable astir Israel oregon the Jewish community," helium said. "It's astir the information of Canada."

Hours aft the American attacks, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said it launched 40 missiles astatine Israel. Officials reported much than 80 radical suffered mostly insignificant injuries.

Lieberman said the Jewish federation is helping Winnipeggers stranded successful Israel to travel to Canada done Jordan and Cyprus.