Following recent warnings from former President Donald Trump regarding possible Iranian “sleeper cells” operating in North America, Canadian opposition legislators are accusing their government of permitting operatives connected to Tehran’s regime to stay in the country.
On Wednesday, Trump stated that U.S. officials are keeping an eye on Iranian networks thought to have entered the U.S. in recent years.
“I have been (briefed), and a lot of people came in through Biden with his stupid open border,” Trump said in response to a question from ’ Peter Doocy. “But we know where most of them are. We’ve got our eye on all of them.”
These comments were made at a time when Western security officials are increasingly worried about Iranian intelligence operations targeting critics outside Iran.
In Canada, top Conservative Party members claim the government has not taken action against Iranian regime officials even though it has identified people connected to Tehran.
Deputy Conservative Leader Melissa Lantsman, Shadow Immigration Minister Michelle Rempel, and Pierre Paul-Hus, the Conservative Party’s Québec lieutenant, issued a statement in Ottawa urging the Liberal government to present a plan within a week to take prompt steps to halt Iranian regime activities in Canada.
“The Liberals have known for years that there are hundreds of Iranian regime officials in Canada, 239 of whom have had their visas canceled,” the legislators stated.
They further noted that government officials recently informed a parliamentary immigration committee that only one individual has been deported to date, pointing to legal barriers such as asylum applications, lack of direct flights to Iran, and privacy safeguards.
“The presence of Islamic Republic agents in Canada is not a new problem,” Maryam Shariatmadari told Digital.
Shariatmadari is a prominent figure in the “Girls of Revolution Street” protests against Iran’s compulsory hijab rules; she fled Iran after being jailed and now lives in exile in Canada.
“For years, the Iranian people have voiced concerns about the presence of these individuals and their children in Canada,” Shariatmadari added.
“A clear example is Mahmoud Reza Khavari and Marjan Al-Agha, both known embezzlers,” she asserted. Iran Wire covered this case in 2022. “Notably, an economic magazine that features entrepreneurs has highlighted the son of Mahmoud Reza Khavari — former CEO of Bank Melli and a convicted criminal in Iran — as an ‘inspiring businessman’ in Canada and referred to him as ‘a young leader.’
“But these days we are seeing more of these individuals,” Shariatmadari continued. “Their presence has grown more noticeable, and they are organizing events under the slogan ‘No to War’ while expressing support for Hamas and Hezbollah. At the same time, they have remained completely silent about the killing of Iranians.”
Exiled Iranian journalist Mehdi Ghadimi, now residing in Canada, told Digital that people connected to Iran’s regime often enter Western countries via multiple channels.
“Some come as students, academics, or regular immigrants but already have links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) through family connections or ideological alignment,” he stated. “They often attempt to identify activists and critics so that those people can face legal or judicial issues either in Iran or even outside the country.”
Ghadimi noted that another group operates mainly through financial networks linked to the regime.
“Another group consists of former IRGC members or employees of other state institutions who later move to countries like Canada as private investors,” he explained. “When someone brings millions of dollars for investment, it raises questions about the origin of that money.”
He further mentioned that wealthy businesspeople who transfer capital overseas may do so with the approval of Iran’s security apparatus.
“If someone is moving large sums of money out of Iran and investing it abroad, it’s very hard to do that without the approval of the IRGC and the Islamic Republic’s security institutions,” he said.
Ghadimi also highlighted past corruption scandals involving Iranian officials who transferred large amounts of money abroad, including Khavari’s case—he fled Iran after a major banking scandal and later settled in Canada.
This criticism emerges as Canadian police are investigating the disappearance of Masood Masjoody, an Iranian dissident, mathematician, and critic of Iran’s clerical leadership who went missing earlier this year in Burnaby, British Columbia.
Investigators from Canada’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team state that evidence indicates Masjoody was probably a murder victim, though authorities have not publicly named any suspects and the investigation is still ongoing, per The Guardian.
Police report that investigators are reviewing Masjoody’s background and personal history as part of the investigation, and Canadian media have noted that authorities are examining certain aspects of his past to determine a potential motive.
This case has intensified concerns among Canada’s Iranian diaspora, many of whom have warned for years that Iran monitors and intimidates its critics overseas.
Conservatives contend that gaps in immigration enforcement have allowed people connected to the Iranian regime to stay in Canada despite visa bans and sanctions imposed by the Ottawa government.
They are urging the government to immediately enforce deportation orders against Iranian regime officials, disrupt financial networks tied to Tehran, and set up a long-overdue foreign influence registry designed to expose agents working for foreign governments.
“The Liberals can take action against the Iranian regime today, right here within our own borders,” they said in the statement. “Too much is on the line. We expect a plan within the week.”
“It’s straightforward. Iran’s regime must not find a safe haven in Canada,” Lantsman stated.
The Canadian government referred Digital to the Canada Border Services Agency, which did not reply to a request for comment.