Up to 1,000 Iranian ‘sleeper’ agents embedded in Canada: Gov’t official
As many as 1,000 former members of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps may be living in Canada, potentially posing a significant security threat to the United States, experts warn.
Michelle Rempel Garner, a member of Canada’s opposition and shadow minister for immigration, criticized the government for failing to address the issue.
“It’s a huge problem,” she said. “This isn’t just a concern for Canada—it’s a concern for our security partners and allies.” According to Garner, individuals affiliated with the Iranian regime often exploit Canada’s lenient immigration policies to enter the country, making deportation nearly impossible.
“They request asylum and often receive deportation delays. The system has to change,” she said.
Joe Adam George, research lead at the Philadelphia-based Middle East Forum, said the United States—not Canada—is the primary target of Iran’s regime. “The Iranian regime views the US as the Great Satan and Israel as the Little Satan,” he said.
The Islamic Republic is known to maintain “sleeper cells” worldwide and may have dispatched operational triggers to activate them in the event of conflict with the US and Israel, according to intercepted encrypted messages.
Tensions have already surfaced in Canada. On March 10, the US Consulate in Toronto came under attack when two gunmen allegedly fired on the compound. No injuries were reported, and authorities have not confirmed whether the suspects had links to the Iranian regime.
Christian Leuprecht, a professor at the Royal Military College and Queen’s University, warned that Canada could share responsibility if one of its residents carried out an attack in the United States. “Canada presents itself as a beacon of human rights, yet we admit people with blood on their hands,” he said.
Canadian authorities have identified 32 high-ranking Iranian officials in the country and flagged them for deportation, according to the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA).
Some notable figures reportedly residing in Canada include:
- Abbas Omidi, 55, former Deputy Director General of Iran’s Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade, who arrived in 2022 and is facing deportation hearings.
- Afshin Pirnoon, former Director General of Iran’s Ministry of Roads, who was allowed to remain in Canada after the Immigration and Refugee Board blocked deportation in 2025.
- Seyed Salman Samani, spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Interior, who was issued deportation orders in March 2024 but remains in the country.
- Majid Iranmanesh, director general of Iran’s Vice-Presidency for Science and Technology, who received deportation orders in February 2024 but has not left Canada.
- Sina Ardeshir Larijani, nephew of Iran’s short-lived de facto leader Ali Larijani, reportedly works as director of Real Estate Finance at the Royal Bank of Canada in Vancouver.
Canada banned Iranian officials from entering the country in 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini after her arrest for allegedly violating the country’s strict hijab laws. The restrictions initially applied to officials who served in the regime from 2019 onward and were later extended in 2024 to include those in power since 2003, after the arrest and subsequent death of Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi in Tehran. To date, only one Iranian official has been deported under the ban.
When questioned, the CBSA did not confirm Sina Ardeshir Larijani’s relationship to Ali Larijani or his presence in Canada, citing privacy protections under the Privacy Act.
“An individual’s border and immigration information is considered private and protected,” a CBSA representative said.
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