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OTTAWA, Canada — In the wake of Iran’s military escalation with Israel, Canadian authorities are heightening security amid fears that Iranian sleeper cells may be targeting dissidents, human rights defenders, and members of the Iranian diaspora living in Canada.

Iran has posed a global threat for years, and now that Israel and the United States have neutralized Iran's nuclear capabilities, the sleeper cells remain a deadly force to be reckoned with; they threaten not only Israel and the US but also potentially target Canada.

The Department of Public Safety confirmed that while the immediate hostilities in the Middle East have paused, “Canada’s law enforcement agencies remain on alert,” according to Noémie Allard, a spokesperson for the department. Canada’s national terrorism threat level remains at medium, signifying that “a violent extremist attack is a realistic possibility at this time.”

The warning follows credible intelligence that Tehran is broadening its campaign of transnational repression, efforts to intimidate, silence, or assassinate its critics abroad.

“Iranian diaspora groups, human rights defenders, journalists, Jews, and Israelis have all become potential targets,” said Irwin Cotler, Canada’s former justice minister and a longtime critic of the Iranian regime. Cotler has been under 24-hour RCMP protection since 2023 after Canadian intelligence uncovered a credible death threat against him.

Cotler, who founded the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, called this “a moment in which we need to be on alert.” His concerns are underscored by Iran’s recent wave of internal crackdowns: three political prisoners were executed last week for allegedly spying for Israel, and over 700 Iranians were arrested during the 12-day conflict.

He warned that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), designated a foreign terrorist organization by both Canada and the United States, is stepping up covert activities abroad. Cotler fears sleeper cells have already been activated in Canada to monitor, intimidate, or target regime opponents.

Adding urgency to these concerns, Canadian human rights lawyer Kaveh Shahrooz has warned that the number of IRGC operatives in Canada is “underrepresented” and that “the threat is greater than we appreciate.”

Cotler is urging Ottawa to establish an independent agency dedicated to countering the extraterritorial threats posed by rogue states like Iran, Russia, and China, nations he says have repeatedly used violence and intimidation against their citizens living abroad.

“Canada should follow the lead of the U.S. Justice Department and prosecute those who collaborate with Iranian-led sleeper cells,” he said. Canada only officially listed the IRGC as a terrorist entity last year, despite Cotler having called for that designation as early as 2008.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, speaking virtually from the NATO summit in The Hague, said the government is “very concerned about foreign interference,” including the threats described by Cotler. Anand emphasized that Canada’s 2012 severing of diplomatic ties with Iran and its 2022 terrorist designation of the Iranian regime reflect Ottawa’s continued alarm.

In a call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier this month, Anand also pressed Tehran to accept responsibility for the 2020 downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752, which killed 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents. Families of the victims, Cotler said, have faced harassment and intimidation in both Iran and Canada.

Separately, The Globe and Mail reported this week that the Canada Border Services Agency has flagged 20 senior Iranian officials as inadmissible to Canada due to national security concerns.

With Iran’s crackdown at home intensifying, Canadian intelligence agencies are grappling with the challenge of preventing those repressive tactics from metastasizing onto Canadian streets.

“This is no longer just about foreign policy,” Cotler said. “This is about protecting Canadians and Canadian residents from transnational terror.”

Final Word: Despite Iran’s severed head, the snake's scions remain venomous.