The IRGC has threatened my family. That is why Britain’s action is so personal - and why it must go further

I left Iran as a child almost four decades ago, but I’ve never escaped the memories and stories of a country shaped by fear.

Iran is a nation of extraordinary heritage and culture, a civilisation that gave the world poetry, science and philosophy, and is associated with one of the earliest declarations of human rights under Cyrus the Great. Its history reflects tolerance, freedom of belief and respect for different peoples. That is why it is so painful to see my homeland represented today by a regime that has hijacked its identity and turned it into a source of repression, fear and extremism.

Nearly 15 years ago, I entered politics because I wanted to defend the democracy and freedoms Britain had given me; the very same freedoms denied to the people of my homeland. I began warning that the threat of the Iranian regime and its IRGC enforcers was not confined to those in Iran. Its ideology, networks and influence extended far beyond Iran’s borders.

1,236 days ago, my husband, Vahid Beheshti, took the courageous decision to lead a campaign to ban the IRGC. Starting with a 72-day hunger strike outside the Foreign Office, it went on to become a peace camp which has attracted the support of many thousands of ordinary Brits.

He did all of this with full knowledge of the threats to his life from Iran’s UK-based operatives. Sure enough, he has been subjected to sustained intimidation, a threat of beheading and even a fatwa issued by the Iranian regime. A beloved fellow member of our Iran Front campaign group - Masood Masjoody - was found brutally murdered in Canada. Never once did Vahid blink.

There have been moments of fear, exhaustion and doubt. Yet the more the regime attempted to threaten, intimidate or silence us, the more determined we have become. The regime even publicly appealed to the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, to stop our campaign. Rather than weakening our resolve, it made us stronger. After all, we knew from close personal experience that we were exposing something the regime desperately wanted hidden.

I only wish Britain had been leading the way rather than following others. This action is welcome, but it comes after years of warnings from campaigners, hundreds of cross-party parliamentarians and the Iranian diaspora.

Designation alone, however, will not roll back the IRGC’s interests in the UK.

The IRGC’s fingerprints can be seen within no shortage of British mosques, charities and businesses. Reports have even documented links between a Scout group and Shi’ite extremists. It beggars belief that British authorities allowed the situation to deteriorate so precipitously before acting.

The Government must now urgently disrupt the IRGC’s financial networks, front organisations, influence operations and those regime-linked individuals who use Britain as a safe haven. Assets linked to its activities must be frozen, and any institution found to be funding, promoting or facilitating its operations must face proper scrutiny and enforcement. Andy Burnham will arrive in Number 10 with a full in-tray, but national security will be his most sacred responsibility and how he handles the enforcement of this designation will be a critical first test.

This decision proves that determined campaigning can produce change. I thank the MPs and Peers from across Parliament who stood beside us and refused to remain silent.

Our fight today continues. Not out of anger, but out of hope for a free Iran and for a safer Britain.

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Mattie Heaven is an Iranian-born British national, local councillor, and director of The International Organisation to Preserve Human Rights (IOPHR).

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