Toronto mayor inaugurates new ‘Little Iran’ cultural district
Mayor Olivia Chow (left of the sign), Councilor Lily Cheng (Willowdale) (right if the sign), and MP Ali Ehsassi joined dozens of Persian-Canadians at Centre Park to unveil the new Little Iran sign - Ali Ehsassi Social Media
Toronto’s Iranian-Canadian community celebrated a milestone on Saturday with the official inauguration of “Little Iran,” a new cultural district in Willowdale within the city's North York district.
The event at Centre Park brought together Mayor Olivia Chow, city councilor Lily Cheng and MP Ali Ehsassi - both of Willdowdale - along with dozens of Iranian-Canadians to unveil the district’s new sign.
The designation recognizes the community’s cultural and economic contributions as part of Toronto’s growing multicultural landscape.
“On this Thanksgiving weekend, I want to show my gratitude to the Iranian community for coming together and celebrating,” Mayor Chow said in remarks cited by the local outlet Straight Outta Six on Instagram. “Today is really a historic day.”
Canada is home to one of the largest Iranian diasporas outside the Middle East, with more than 200,000 Iranian-Canadians nationwide, according to the 2021 census.
The majority live in the Greater Toronto Area - particularly in North York, Richmond Hill and Thornhill - where Iranian businesses, restaurants and cultural centers have flourished since large waves of immigration began after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The new district’s designation highlights both the community’s long-standing presence and its growing influence in shaping Toronto’s cultural identity.
Festivals such as Tirgan, which showcases Iranian music, art and dance, as well as the Persian New Year Nowruz celebrations and Persian cuisine, have become widely popular across Canada, reflecting the community’s vibrant cultural scene.
US President Donald Trump appeared to suggest in a passing remark during a speech before Israel's Knesset on Monday that his son-in-law Jared Kushner could lead US diplomacy with Tehran.
“We always bring Jared when we want to get that deal closed … Steve, you and Jared and the general and Pete and Marco — you’ll get that deal done,” Trump said moments after discussing Iran’s nuclear program and its role in the Middle East.
The line was brief but telling.
For analysts who have followed Trump’s unconventional diplomacy, it echoed the playbook that produced the Abraham Accords — a blend of personal trust, transactional bargaining and Kushner’s unique access to Persian Gulf capitals.
Kushner has already hinted at his own views on Iran in the past. In a post on X in September 2024, he called the day Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s was assassinated by Israel “the most important day in the Middle East since the Abraham Accords.”
Kushner wrote on X that Iran was “now fully exposed” because its deterrent — Hezbollah’s arsenal — had been “a loaded gun pointed at Israel.”
The billionaire businessman argued that Israel “cannot afford now to not finish the job and completely dismantle the arsenal that has been aimed at them,” and praised Trump’s strategy of strength over negotiation.
The message underscored Kushner’s hawkish outlook on Iran and belief that its armed allies in the region must be dismantled before any lasting peace can emerge.
The Kushner Factor
Eric Mandel, director of the Middle East Political Information Network (MEPIN), told Iran International that Trump’s reliance on loyal envoys like Kushner reflects his governing style — but that Iran is a different arena entirely.
“He uses people who are loyal to him to do things way beyond what normal portfolios are,” Mandel said. “But you’re not going to change the spots of the Islamic Republic.”
Mandel warned that Kushner’s pragmatic, business-minded approach could misread Tehran’s ideological rigidity.
While Mandel sees value in verifiable understandings — such as access for inspectors, curbs on ballistic missile and limits on activity by armed allies — he doubts Tehran would treat such talks as anything more than a tactical pause.
Iran has expressly rejected curbs to its military activities as a non-starter for talks.
“If you can kick the can down the road five years, maybe ten, and get something binding, fine,” he said. “But don’t expect human-rights progress or regime transformation. They’ll stall until Trump is gone," said Mandel.
Trump’s renewed focus on Iran comes amid a regional recalibration. Following Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June and a fragile Gaza truce, he may be testing whether Tehran’s leadership will engage diplomatically or double down on defiance.
‘The Carrot and the Stick’
Kushner’s re-emergence makes practical sense, as he retains credibility with Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Doha, and may offer Tehran a face-saving interlocutor outside official channels, Middle East analyst, former Israeli intelligence official and author Avi Melamed told Iran International.
“It makes sense that he could be someone the Iranians would be willing to look at as a go-between,” Melamed said. “He’s a familiar figure in Gulf capitals, and his track record with the Abraham Accords gives him legitimacy others don’t have.”
Kushner has multi-billion dollar business ties with state-linked businesses in the region.
His Affinity Partners investment group partnered with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund to help buy US videogame developer Electronic Arts last month for $55 billion, which if completed would be the largest leveraged buyout in history.
Carrot, stick
Trump’s mention of Kushner also signaled a dual strategy — diplomacy backed by implicit threat, Israeli-Iranian researcher Beni Sabti, who served as former spokesperson to Prime Minister Netanyahu, told Iran International.
“Jared is the carrot, and Israel is the stick,” he said. “Trump shows Iran that there’s a softer route if they behave, but the alternative is pressure and potential strikes.”
Yet others see opportunity rather than confrontation. With Iran under economic strain and its regional proxies weakened, some analysts believe Trump’s overture — and Kushner’s possible return — could open a narrow diplomatic window.
Melamed argued Tehran has reasons to listen. The June 12-day war severely weakened the so-called axis of resistance and exposed Iran’s regional vulnerabilities.
Coupled with new US sanctions and pressure on Iran-backed militias, “the toolkit Washington holds today is far stronger than before October 7,” he said. Melamed expects the clerical establishment to seek talks to ease economic strain while preserving its core power structure.
Sabti said Tehran’s refusal to attend last month’s Sharm el-Sheikh peace summit underscores both its isolation and its pride — a system that, he said, “would rather stay out and look strong than appear subordinate.”
Whether Kushner formally re-enters diplomacy on Iran remains unclear. But Trump’s words revived speculation first reported by Iran International podcast Eye for Iran in 2024, when Yale’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld — who worked with Kushner on the Abraham Accords — predicted that “the only way there will be peace in the Middle East is through someone like Kushner.”
For now, Iran’s answer is silence.
The Islamic Republic declined an invitation to the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, calling recognition accords with Israel a “treacherous normalization project.”
Still, with sanctions tightening and proxies under strain, analysts agree Tehran may be preparing to reopen diplomatic channels — even if only to buy time.
Britain’s MI5 warned members of Parliament that spies from China, Russia and Iran are targeting UK politicians in an effort to influence policy, gather intelligence and undermine democracy, Reuters reported on Monday.
MI5 Director General Ken McCallum urged lawmakers to stay alert to blackmail attempts, phishing attacks,and approaches from individuals seeking to cultivate long-term relationships or make donations to sway decisions.
“When foreign states steal vital UK information or manipulate our democratic processes, they don’t just damage our security in the short term—they erode the foundations of our sovereignty,” McCallum said, mentioning the three countries.
Iran’s inclusion alongside Russia and China highlights growing concern over Tehran’s global network of influence operations, which British and European officials say increasingly target lawmakers, journalists and activists.
MI5’s warning follows reports linking Iranian cyber groups to intimidation and disinformation campaigns abroad, including against UK-based journalists critical of the Islamic Republic.
The advisory comes a week after prosecutors dropped a high-profile espionage case against two British men accused of spying for China, after the government declined to present classified evidence in court. The case has sparked debate over how to confront foreign interference while protecting intelligence sources.
McCallum concluded his message by urging vigilance among lawmakers: “Take action today to protect democracy—and yourself.”
Iran’s top security body warned domestic media against positive coverage of US President Donald Trump’s talk of peace with Iran, calling it part of an enemy psychological war, according to a confidential directive seen by Iran International.
President Trump told the Israeli Knesset on Monday that Tehran was tired of war and Washington was ready for peace after US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites in June.
Hours later, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) sent a directive to domestic media instructing them to exercise caution in covering his remarks.
"Trump’s remarks in the parliament of the Zionist regime, along with certain claims such as pursuing peace, making a deal with Iran and attempting to influence the media environment, make it necessary for colleagues to exercise vigilance regarding the enemy’s psychological warfare."
"Any optimistic view or excitement over a possible shift in the US approach could send wrong signals abroad, harm the economy, and undermine national unity," the SNSC said, according to the directive a copy of which was obtained by Iran International.
It also urged media outlets to provide analytical coverage of Trump's remarks and not simply repeat or amplify his statements.
In a later speech in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh, Trump said Iran could not survive sanctions and that it would likely return to negotiations.
"I think Iran will come along. They've been battered and bruised and, you know, they're out there. They need some help. There are big sanctions, as you know, tremendous sanctions," he told reporters alongside Egypt's President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi.
"I'd love to take the sanctions off when they're ready to talk. But they can't really survive with those sanctions," he added ahead of the Middle East Peace Summit which gathered the leaders of 20 countries following a US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza.
Iran was also invited by Cairo to the summit, but declined the invitation citing the presence of Trump who ordered strikes on Iran in June and has imposed the harshest sanctions against the country.
"While favoring diplomatic engagement, neither President Pezeshkian nor I can engage with counterparts who have attacked the Iranian People and continue to threaten and sanction us," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites had dealt a blow to the Middle East's "bully" that convinced them not to restart the program.
Trump said Iran would now seek global reintegration and economic recovery rather than pursuing nuclear weapons. Tehran denies seeking a bomb.
“I think Iran is going to be a country that wants to get back into the world of good economies,” Trump told Fox News in Israel. “The last thing they're going to do is get into the nuclear world again, because look what it’s gotten them, and I would just have to do it again.”
“The bully of the Middle East has been taken down,” Trump said. “And I think the bully of the Middle East may very well turn out to be a very productive partner for a lot of other countries, much different than what they look like before.”
On June 13, Israel launched a surprise military strike on Iran, targeting senior military officials and key nuclear sites. The United States joined the campaign on June 22, striking Iran’s key nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.
In response, Iran fired scores of missiles and drones toward Israel. The United States brokered a ceasefire on June 24.
“They don't have a nuclear program; it was obliterated,” Trump added. “It was those B-2 pilots and 30 Tomahawks coming in from submarines. It was complete and total obliteration.”
Trump said the administration was in touch with Iranian officials. Asked if he was speaking to Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, he declined to elaborate. “I don’t want to say who, but we speak to him quite often, actually."
Leaders of over 20 countries participated in the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit, co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Trump.
A troika of European powers triggered the reimposition of international sanctions on Iran last month, accusing Tehran of spurning diplomacy and nuclear inspections.
Under Trump’s Gaza peace plan, Israel would maintain a military presence along Gaza’s border, while an international force—composed largely of troops from Arab and Muslim nations—would oversee security inside the territory.
The United States would lead a major, internationally funded reconstruction effort in the war-ravaged enclave.
Russia is permitted by international law to step up military ties with Iran even after UN sanctions were reimposed last month, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.
The comments may signal stepped-up security cooperation between the two heavily-sanctioned powers deeply at odds with Washington and the West.
A troika of European powers triggered the reimposition of international sanctions on Iran last month, accusing Tehran of spurning diplomacy and nuclear inspections.
Russia and China sought to block the move at the UN Security Council on September 26 not enough member states supported their bid and the sanctions were reimposed the following day.
Asked in Moscow whether Russia would continue cooperating with Tehran on advanced military systems including the S-400 air defense system, Lavrov confirmed the relationship would advance.
“We will develop military-technical cooperation with Iran. After you noted the UN Security Council sanctions, we have no restrictions," RIA Novosti quoted Lavrov as saying.
"In full compliance with international law, we are engaged in supplying the equipment that the Islamic Republic of Iran needs.”
Iranian-designed drones have been key to Russia's war effort against Ukraine
While Iranian-designed drones have been key to Russia's war effort against Ukraine, Moscow provided little support during the brief summer war.
The two countries have signed a long-term security framework, but Russia’s restraint underscores the limits of its backing.
Earlier this month, leaked Russian defense documents indicated Iran had signed a €6 billion deal to buy 48 Su-35 fighter jets from Moscow, with deliveries expected between 2026 and 2028.
Last month, an Iranian lawmaker said Russian MiG-29 fighter jets had arrived in Iran as part of a short-term plan to bolster its air force, with more advanced Sukhoi Su-35 aircraft to follow gradually.
Iran has long sought to modernize its aging air force, which relies heavily on US-made jets purchased before the 1979 revolution and a small number of Russian and locally upgraded aircraft.
Western analysts say Iran’s request for 50 aircraft remains only partly fulfilled, with deliveries slowed by Russia’s own needs in Ukraine.
Tehran also faces vulnerability in air defenses after Israeli strikes earlier this year destroyed its last Russian-provided S-300 systems. Iran had acquired the four S-300 battalions from Russia in 2016.
