‘My dad wouldn’t have been kidnapped if the IRGC were proscribed as terrorists sooner’

Anoosheh Ashoori,a former Iranian prisoner who spent five years in the notorious Evin jail (Picture: Anoosheh Ashoori/PA Wire)

A woman whose dad was held hostage by the IRGC for five years has said the government could have saved ‘countless lives’ had it proscribed the group years ago.

Elika Ashoori’s dad Anoosheh,a British-Iranian civil engineer,was suddenly detained after travelling to visit his mum in August 2017.

He was freed in March 2022 after five years in the notorious Evin jail alongside fellow prisoner,Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

But it was only yesterday that the government confirmed they were proscribing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation,despite there being years of ‘threats to life and intimidation on UK soil’.

Elika told Metro: ‘As we battled for my dad’s release,we realised that the IRGC was at the core of everything that has happened to British citizens by the Iranian state.

‘The government has buried its head in the sand for years. By not proscribing them,we were partaking.’

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Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.Anoosheh arriving in Oman with Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe after being freed from prison

(Picture: Reuters)But Elika said the words are coming ‘too late’ for many people whose lives have already been decimated by the regime.She said: ‘The IRGC is a bank and a training centre for radicalism across the world. I am not surprised at the level of anti-semitic attacks in London,particularly Golders Green.‘But we should have put things to stop them,such as proscription,in motion way before this. Maybe all of this,including my dad being kidnapped,would not have happened if they were proscribed years ago.’Under new state threat powers,anyone supporting or assisting the groups will face a maximum punishment of 14 years in prison,but ministers will need parliamentary approval first.The government has already announced that more than £250,000,000 is to be invested in increasing policing in Jewish communities.The increased funding will see a surge in police presence,patrols,and security outside synagogues and schools,as well as specialist plain-clothes officers in Jewish communities.Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: ‘Iran and Russia are using proxies and thugs to do their dirty work on our shores.‘I have rapidly designated three groups so those working for them will be tracked down and put behind bars.‘I will leave no stone unturned to keep our country safe.’Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at .For more stories like this,check our news page.