Trump warns of Iranian 'sleeper cells' as Canada accused of harboring regime operatives

As President Donald Trump warned this week astir Iranian "sleeper cells" perchance operating successful North America, Canadian absorption lawmakers are accusing their authorities of allowing operatives linked to Tehran’s authorities to stay successful the country.

Speaking connected Wednesday, Trump said U.S. authorities were monitoring Iranian networks believed to person entered the United States successful caller years.

"I person been [briefed], and a batch of radical came successful done Biden with his anserine unfastened border," Trump said successful effect to a question from Fox News’ Peter Doocy. "But we cognize wherever astir of them are. We've got our oculus connected each of them."

The remarks travel amid increasing interest among Western information officials astir Iranian quality activities targeting critics abroad.

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A counter-protester holds an representation of Iran's precocious Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei adjacent a rally by radical supporting the Israel-U.S. struggle with Iran, successful beforehand of the U.S. consulate successful Toronto, Ontario, Canada March 7, 2026.  (Kyaw Soe Oo/Reuters)

In Canada, elder Conservatives accidental the authorities has failed to enactment against Iranian authorities officials contempt identifying individuals linked to Tehran.

In a connection released successful Ottawa, Deputy Conservative person Melissa Lantsman, migration shadiness curate Michelle Rempel and Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative Québec Lieutenant, called upon the Liberal authorities to array a program wrong 1 week to instrumentality contiguous enactment to halt Iranian authorities activities successful Canada.

"The Liberals person known for years that determination are hundreds of Iranian authorities officials successful Canada, 239 of whom person had their visas cancelled," the lawmakers said.

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A counter-protester holds signs against the U.S.-Israel struggle with Iran adjacent a rally by radical supporting the war, successful beforehand of the U.S. consulate successful Toronto, Ontario, Canada, March 7, 2026.  (Kyaw Soe Oo/Reuters)

They added that authorities officials told a parliamentary migration committee earlier this week that lone 1 idiosyncratic has been deported truthful far, citing ineligible obstacles including asylum claims, the lack of nonstop flights to Iran and privateness protections.

Maryam Shariatmadari, 1 of the faces of the "Girls of Revolution Street" protests against Iran’s mandatory hijab laws who fled Iran aft being imprisoned and present lives successful exile successful Canada, told Fox News Digital that "The beingness of agents of the Islamic Republic successful Canada is not a caller issue. For years, the radical of Iran person expressed interest astir the beingness of these individuals and their children successful Canada."

"A wide illustration is Mahmoud Reza Khavari and Marjan Al-Agha, who are known embezzlers. What is striking is that an economical mag that introduces entrepreneurs has presented the lad of Mahmoud Reza Khavari — the erstwhile CEO of Bank Melli and a convicted transgression successful Iran — arsenic an ‘inspiring businessman’ successful Canada and has described him arsenic ‘a young leader,’" she said.

"But these days we are seeing much of these individuals," Shariatmadari added. "Their beingness has go much visible, and they are organizing gatherings nether the slogan ‘No to War,’ portion expressing enactment for Hamas and Hezbollah. Meanwhile, they remained wholly soundless astir the sidesplitting of Iranians."

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Anti-Israel protesters stitchery extracurricular of the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto synagogue connected March 7, 2024. The spot of worship was 1 of 3 synagogues changeable successful the archetypal week of March, 2026. (Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Exiled Iranian writer Mehdi Ghadimi who present lives successful Canada told Fox News Digital that individuals linked to Iran’s authorities often get successful Western countries done respective antithetic channels. "Some get arsenic students, academics oregon mean immigrants but were already connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps done household ties oregon ideological affiliation", helium said, "They often effort to place activists and critics truthful those individuals tin look ineligible oregon judicial problems either successful Iran oregon adjacent abroad," helium said.

Ghadimi said different class operates chiefly done fiscal networks tied to the regime. "Another radical includes radical who utilized to beryllium members of the IRGC oregon different authorities institutions and aboriginal participate countries similar Canada arsenic backstage investors," helium said. "When idiosyncratic brings respective cardinal dollars for investment, it raises questions astir wherever that wealth came from."

He added that affluent concern figures who determination superior overseas whitethorn besides bash truthful with the support of Iran’s information establishment. "If idiosyncratic is moving ample amounts of wealth retired of Iran and investing abroad, it is precise hard to bash that without the support of the IRGC and the information institutions of the Islamic Republic," helium said.

Ghadimi besides pointed to past corruption scandals involving Iranian officials who moved ample sums of wealth overseas, including the lawsuit of erstwhile Bank Melli CEO Mahmoud Reza Khavari, who fled Iran aft a large banking ungraded and aboriginal settled successful Canada.

The disapproval comes arsenic Canadian constabulary analyse the disappearance of Iranian dissident Masood Masjoody, a mathematician and professional of Iran’s clerical enactment who vanished earlier this twelvemonth successful Burnaby, British Columbia.

Investigators with Canada’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team accidental grounds suggests Masjoody was apt the unfortunate of murder, though authorities person not publically identified suspects and the probe remains ongoing, according to The Guardian.

Police accidental investigators are reviewing Masjoody’s inheritance and idiosyncratic past arsenic portion of the probe, and Canadian media reports person noted aspects of his past that authorities are examining arsenic they enactment to find a imaginable motive.

The lawsuit has heightened concerns among Canada’s Iranian diaspora, galore of whom person warned for years that Tehran monitors and intimidates critics abroad.

Conservatives reason weaknesses successful migration enforcement person allowed individuals linked to the Iranian authorities to stay successful the state contempt visa bans and sanctions imposed by Ottawa.

They are calling connected the authorities to urgently enforce deportation orders against Iranian authorities officials, disrupt fiscal networks linked to Tehran and found a long-delayed overseas power registry aimed astatine exposing agents moving connected behalf of overseas governments.

"The Liberals tin instrumentality enactment against the Iranian authorities today, astatine location wrong our ain borders. Too overmuch is astatine stake. We expect a program wrong the week," they said successful the statement. 

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"It’s not complicated, Iran’s authorities indispensable not find harmless haven successful Canada," Lantsman said.

The Canadian authorities directed Fox News Digital to the Canada Border Services Agency, which did not respond to a petition for comment.