Mahsa Ghanbari says the emotional weight of the conflict in her home country has been really challenging to live with, adding she knows she isn't alone in feeling this way.

By Tommy Osborne

Iranians in PG

Escalating conflict in Iran causes deep concern for many in Prince George

Mar 5, 2026 | 5:45 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – The war in Iran continues to escalate, as the death toll is reported to be in the thousands. That, on top of the thousands who have died in the months of protests prior to the U.S-Israeli airstrikes, is causing deep concern for the Iranian community living in Prince George.

“Living as an immigrant means living between two worlds. We try to build our life here, we go to work, we study, we try to communicate and contribute to our communities here, while we carry a quiet emotional weight that people around us may not see,” said Mahsa Ghanbari, an Iranian living in Prince George.

Ghanbari moved to Prince George two and a half years ago, and she’s one of many Iranians in Prince George who still has family and friends back home. She knows she’s far from the only one struggling with the increasing emotional toll the protests and war have taken, saying the escalating conflict has been very difficult for many to manage.

“For many immigrants, home doesn’t exist in just one place anymore. When something happens back there, we feel it here too,” Ghanbari said.

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Compounding onto the issue is unreliable internet connection, meaning communicating with family has been difficult, if not impossible, at times. Whether the internet was cut intentionally, or impacted by things like protests or airstrikes, Ghanbari says this has only made a stressful situation even worse.

“There have been times with internet disruptions where it was difficult to stay in touch with your family. And when it happens, the hardest part is the uncertainty, not knowing how they’re doing right now. It makes continuing life here very difficult,” she said.

Ghanbari wanted to emphasize this is not a war against the Iranian people and its civilians, but a war against the Islamic Republic. With that in mind, she supports action against the republic, saying that could hopefully give Iranians the better life and freedoms they were protesting for.

“Most Iranian people do not want war. Like people everywhere, they want safety, they want peace, they want dignity, and a chance of living a normal life,” she said.

“The Islamic Republic made it difficult, and I think living a life without Islamic republic is a better life, and not just for Iranians, for the whole world,” she continued.

Israel announced it is beginning for the “next phase” of the war, signaling an imminent end to the conflict is likely not in sight.