Reaction from the Iranian government has in some cases been violent and strategic<\/a>, including a more than two-week long internet blackout.<\/p>\n \u201cThe main goal that the Iranians have is to just destroy this government from the roots,\u201d said Mortazavi.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s not only just the help,\u201d she said, referring to the airstrikes, \u201cbut it’s the end of this part of the history.\u201d<\/p>\n Shahram Golestaneh, director of the Iran Democratic Association in Canada, organized a small rally near Parliament Hill on Saturday. He says the airstrikes were not ‘unexpected.’ (Cameron Mahler\/CBC)<\/p>\n \u2018Change can only come from within\u2019 <\/p>\n Other members of Ottawa\u2019s Iranian community say the strikes are overdue, making the point that any long-term political changes must come from Iranians themselves.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was not unexpected,\u201d said Shahram Golestaneh, director of the Iran Democratic Association in Canada.<\/p>\n Golestaneh, who gathered a group of Iranian Canadians near Parliament Hill Saturday morning, said recent protests in Iran have shown the people\u2019s desire for change.<\/p>\n But he said he\u2019s also concerned about the intentions behind the military action, and worried about civilian casualties.<\/p>\n \u201cI at least hadn’t heard that directly from the U.S. or from anyone else, that the human rights of the Iranian people was in the forefront,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat’s a sad thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Golestaneh said he’s been unable to reach family members in Iran since the strikes, and worries internet shutdowns may be preventing contact.<\/p>\n Military force from another country can\u2019t determine Iran’s future, he added.<\/p>\n \u201cThe change can come only from within.”<\/p>\n Mehdi Fallahi, host of Ottawa Persian Radio on Carleton University’s CKCU radio station, says he’s not in favour of war and was ‘devastated’ to hear news of the strikes. (Matthew Kupfer\/CBC)<\/p>\n ‘I don’t see war as a solution’<\/p>\n Not all Iranian Canadians in Ottawa support the military action.<\/p>\n Mehdi Fallahi, host of Ottawa Persian Radio on CKCU, said he woke up \u201cvery devastated\u201d by the news.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not in favour of war and I don\u2019t see war as a solution for peace,\u201d he said. “I know that innocent people will die and precious infrastructure will be damaged.\u201d<\/p>\n Fallahi said he’d been in touch with family members in Iran, but his messages later went unread. He too suspects communication networks have been cut.<\/p>\n \u201cWho knows how long this may take? Chances are that this may take weeks, if not months and years,\u201d he said. \u201cThe longer that it takes, the more trouble will be on the shoulder of regular people, ordinary people.\u201d<\/p>\n U.S. President Donald Trump has described the airstrikes as a massive and ongoing operation<\/a> to wipe out the country’s military and overthrow its government.<\/p>\n![\"Shahram](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/b3cc8ecc5fd76d3d0957e3cdd8c7659e.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"Mehdi](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/eadcb7085c36056fc8892ebf62468bc7.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n