Elika Ashoori, whose father Anoosheh was held hostage by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for five years, has said that if the UK government had proscribed the group earlier, it would have saved 'countless lives'. Anoosheh Ashoori, a British-Iranian civil engineer, was detained in August 2017 while visiting his mother in Iran and spent five years in the notorious Evin prison before being freed in March 2022 alongside Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. The UK government only confirmed the proscription of the IRGC on July 13, 2026, despite years of 'threats to life and intimidation on UK soil'.
Family's long battle for recognition
Speaking to Metro, Elika said: '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.' The proscription came just two weeks after two men, George Stana and Nandito Bandea, were jailed for stabbing journalist Pouria Zeraati outside his home in Wimbledon in a proxy operation linked to the Iranian state. Zeraati works for Iran International, a news outlet critical of the Iranian government.
IRGC-linked attacks and new measures
The IRGC is believed to have directed a linked group, the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right, to carry out anti-semitic attacks including torching volunteer ambulances and setting fires at synagogues. Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated: 'We will never let Britain be a playground for states who want to spread fear, division and violence on our streets. Anyone acting on behalf of those who threaten our national security should be in no doubt that there is no place for you in Britain.' Elika, however, said the words come 'too late' for many whose lives have been devastated by the regime. She added: '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.'
Government's new state threat powers
Under new state threat powers, anyone supporting or assisting the proscribed groups will face a maximum punishment of 14 years in prison, though ministers require parliamentary approval first. The government has also announced over £250 million investment into increasing policing in Jewish communities, including a surge in police presence, patrols, and protection outside synagogues and schools, as well as specialist plain-clothes officers. 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.'
