President of Iranian Canadian Congress, Mona Ghassemi, on Unusual Sources with Brendan Stone, discussing the US-Israeli illegal war on Iran and Canada's obligation to uphold international law, aired on 2026-09-23. 

Watch by clicking here.

Please join the Iranian Canadian Congress in calling upon the Canadian Government to oppose the US-Israeli illegal war on Iran and the US-backed Israeli genocide in Palestine.

Date: August 24, 2026

Dear Prime Minister,

The Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC), the largest non-governmental non-religious and non-partisan democratic organization representing Iranian Canadians, expresses its concerns regarding the additional sanctions imposed by the Canadian government on Iranian officials, announced on August 14, 2026. According to the announcement, these officials were sanctioned “for their activities that have threatened a critical international waterway, and obstructed navigation rights in and around the Strait of Hormuz, contrary to international law.”

The announcement omits the following critical facts, obscures and inverts the truth, and by doing so does a disservice to the Canadian public and jeopardizes Canada’s national interests:

1) The Strait of Hormuz is not part of international waters. It lies within the territorial waters of its two coastal states, Iran and Oman. This status is affirmed in the 1974 Treaty No. 14085 between Iran and Oman, as well as in the 1993 Act on the Marine Areas of Iran, both of which are registered with the United Nations.

2) The Strait of Hormuz remained open to international navigation prior to February 28, 2026. Canadians reading the announcement have a right to know what has caused the tensions in the Strait of Hormuz since that date.

3) The US and Israel launched an illegal war on Iran on February 28th, without any authorization from the United Nations Security Council and in the midst of ongoing diplomatic negotiations between Iran and the US—mirroring the previous round of US-Israeli attacks on Iran in June 2025.

4) The illegal US-Israeli attacks on Iran since February 28 have resulted in the assassination of Iran’s Head of State, the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with other senior officials. These attacks have also killed over 168 students and teachers at an elementary school in Iran’s coastal city of Minab, at least 104 sailors aboard Iran’s Frigate Dena in international waters, and at least 3,519 Iranians, injuring thousands more.

5) The illegal US-Israeli attacks have targeted Iran’s hospitals, universities, schools, religious centres, sports centres, heritage sites, bridges, residential buildings and energy infrastructure.

6) Iran’s right to self-defense against the illegal US-Israeli war of aggression is enshrined in international law. Iran has the right to exercise strategic control over its territorial waters, including the Strait of Hormuz, in order to prevent further harm to its citizens, infrastructure, and national interests.

7) Iran entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the US on June 17, 2026. The MoU included, among other provisions, the immediate and permanent termination of US-Israeli military operations on all fronts, the lifting of US sanctions against Iran, and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. However, the US and its proxy, Israel, have grossly violated the terms of the MoU ever since.

The ICC finds the erasure of these facts and the inverted portrayal of the victim and aggressors in the relevant statements of the Canadian government, to be immoral and a disservice to the Canadian public, as previously outlined in our March 27 letter.

Iran is an independent power with vast resources and opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation. It is situated in a strategic position in the world and has sovereignty over critical land and territorial waters, including the Strait of Hormuz.

Continued hostility towards Iran, the imposition of sanctions, and the shielding or support for US-Israeli aggressions are inconsistent with the principles of international law. Moreover, this approach jeopardizes Canada’s national interests and makes it complicit in US-Israeli war crimes against Iran. It may prompt reciprocal measures from Iran towards Canada in various arenas, including the passage of vessels linked to Canada through the Strait of Hormuz.

Hence, we call upon the Government of Canada to terminate its adversarial policies, actions, and sanctions against Iran.

Yours sincerely,
Iranian Canadian Congress

President of Iranian Canadian Congress, Mona Ghassemi, on Tylor Report with Phil Tylor discussing the US-Israeli war on Iran and restoration of diplomatic relations between Iran and Canada, on 2026-08-31. 

Date: August 13, 2026

Dear Prime Minister,

The Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC), the largest non-governmental non-religious and non-partisan democratic organization representing Iranian Canadians, calls on the Canadian government to restore consular and diplomatic relations with Iran.

The ICC welcomes your sensible statement in this regard that "Engagement is not endorsement; Having an embassy having consular services in a country does not mean we endorse the policies of that country." Indeed, diplomatic engagement based on mutual respect is the only path towards peaceful coexistence and cooperation.

Canada is home to a large and growing community of Iranian Canadians. Since the closure of the Iranian Embassy in Canada by the order of Harper’s government in 2012, Iranian Canadians have been deprived of access to essential Iranian consular services in Canada. Obtaining consular services through third countries has imposed significant logistical, financial, and psychological burdens on Iranian Canadians. Hence, the restoration of Iranian consular services in Canada has become a widely supported demand within our community, as demonstrated by the 2026 ICC survey.

Canada has acceded to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR), an international treaty that codifies consular rights and obligations and is the cornerstone of consular relations. The VCCR prohibits a host state from discriminating between other states in authorizing their provision of consular services in the host country. The VCCR asserts that even the severance of diplomatic relations shall not necessarily involve the severance of consular relations.

Denying Iranian Canadians access to Iranian consular services in Canada is contrary to international norms and the VCCR, and constitutes discrimination against Canadian citizens based on their heritage. It is a systemic injustice long overdue to be corrected.

Restoring consular and diplomatic relations between Iran and Canada is not an endorsement of either state’s policies by the other. It simply respects the rights of Iranian Canadians to access consular services like other Canadians with dual citizenship. It also opens the door to potential, mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.

Hence, we call upon the Government of Canada to formally announce its decision and take the necessary steps to restore Iranian consular services and authorize the reopening of the Iranian Embassy in Canada.

Yours sincerely,

Iranian Canadian Congress

The Iranian Canadian Congress Art Committee is thrilled to invite artists to participate in our virtual exhibition, a digital art showcase running in March 2027 on our platform. 

The theme for this year’s exhibition is “People’s Chains of Resistance and Resilience.”

We seek to explore the different dimensions of this unjust aggression: the pain inflicted on the people, the destruction of civilian and cultural institutions, people’s resistance, the sacrifices made, and how deterrence has changed the balance of power in the region. The Iranian Canadian Congress would be honored to feature your work in this digital gallery. 

Submission Guidelines:

We are accepting a variety of media, including painting, digital art, photography, sculpture, videos up to one minute in length, essays up to one page, and poetry.

Please submit your work by the end of December 2026 to: info@iccongress.ca

To apply, please prepare the following:

1. A high-resolution image of your artwork (JPEG)

2. Artwork details: title and medium 

3. Artist’s name, nationality, and current place of residence If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at info@iccongress.ca. 
We look forward to reviewing your inspiring creations and hope to share them with our global audience.

کمیته هنر کنگره ایرانیان کانادا خرسند است از هنرمندان دعوت بعمل آورد تا در نمایشگاه مجازی امسال شرکت کنند، یک نمایشگاه دیجیتال که قرار است در ماه مارس میلادی بر روی پلتفرم کنگره ایرانیان کانادا گذاشته شود
.موضوع نمایشگاه  »زنجیرهای مردمی مقاومت و اقتدار« است. ما به دنبال بررسی ابعاد مختلف این تجاوز ناعادلانه هستیم: کشتار وحشیانه٫ رنج وارد شده به مردم، تخریب نهادهای مدنی و فرهنگی، مقاومت مردم، فداکاری ها و اینکه چگونه بازدارندگی شجاعانه ایرانیان تعادل قدرت را در منطقه  تغییر داده است
. کنگره ایرانیان کانادا افتخار دارد آثار شما را در این گالری دیجیتال به نمایش بگذارد. هنرمندان می توانند انواع مختلف اثار هنری از جمله نقاشی، هنر دیجیتال ، عکاسی، مجسمه سازی، قطعه فیلم ویدیو به طول حداکثر یک دقیقه، قطعات نظم  و نثر به طول حداکثر یک صفحه خود را تاپایان دسامبر۲۰۲۶ به آدرس ذیل ارسال دارند

info@iccongress.ca 

لطفا بهمراه اثر هنری اطلاعات ذیل را ارسال دارید:
نام کامل هنرمند و محل زیست او
نام اثر و نوع مدیا

هنرمندان می توانند سوالات خود را به ایمیل فوق ارسال دارند