Photo: The Canadian Press

Syrians celebrate the fall of Bashar Assad's government in the town of Bar Elias, Lebanon, near the border with Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024.

A member of the Iranian-Canadian community in Kelowna believes the overthrow of Bashar Assad in Syria will spur a new uprising in Iran.

Professor Ray Taheri, in the Faculty of Engineering at UBC Okanagan points out that the regime in Iran was the number one supporter of Assad. He says $50 billion of Iranian money that could have been used for building infrastructure, hospitals, schools and universities, went to protect the Syrian dictator.

“Of course, this creates hope not for only Syrians, not for Iranians but for the entire world that a dictator’s days are numbered,” said Taheri.

He believes the events in Syria have created a vacuum of power for the Iranian regime. “I think soon, soon being the next few months, we will see some, again, uprise in Iran. And hopefully, this time is very different than two years ago.”

He says unlike during the 2022/23 civil unrest and protests against the government, the Islamic Republic does not have the regional support or money to finance a crackdown on demonstrators.

“Many of the people who went attacking all these young men and women in the streets were Iran Regime proxies from other countries,” notes Taheri. “All these acts of evil from Hezbollah, from Syria, now they don’t have those. I think this time Iranians will go for the head of the snake, which is the Iran regime in the region.”

He wishes the best for the Syrian people, calling this a chance of a lifetime.