The wife of one of the British-Iranians freed by Iran described her return home to the UK as “magical”.
Anoosheh Ashoori is back in Lewisham, southeast London, after being arrested in 2017 on espionage charges and sentenced to 10 years in prison in Iran.
Mr. Ashoori, a retired civil engineer, attempted suicide twice and went on a 17-day hunger strike during his detention.
Sherry Izadi said: “I hugged him, I talked to him, I held his hand but it still feels unreal.”
She told BBC London: “To be able to physically touch someone you’ve spent your whole life with and haven’t seen for five years, and I think it was the same for the kids, it was a deep, deep emotional moment.
“I can’t put it into words.”
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 43, was also released and the two were met by loved ones at RAF Brize Norton in the early hours of the morning when they arrived from Iran, via Oman.
Mr. Ashoori’s daughter, Elika Ashoori, has spoken of her happiness at seeing her father, sharing a video of the couple’s arrival.
- The Iranian-British family is delighted with his release
The 67-year-old finally left Tehran on Wednesday after his release was secured following months of negotiations between London and Tehran and the payment of a £400m debt from the 1970s that the UK owed Iran for a order for tanks and armored vehicles.
The UK canceled the order after the Iranian revolution in 1979 and Iran demanded its money back for undelivered vehicles.
Ms. Izadi described how chocolate and apples got her through some of the darkest days.
She said: “We have all aged considerably, we have been through trauma. We have had financial difficulties, physical, mental and daily pressures of life.
“It’s been incredibly difficult, but we’re so relieved it’s over and we can now start to rebuild again.
“It’s either giving up and giving up completely, or it’s fighting and, you know, the former is never an option,” he added.
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