'Please treat our loved-ones like hostages' Family of British citizens detained in Iran say the government has not adapted to the regime's negotiating tactics 8 May 2021 • 6:00am A family photograph of Anoosheh Ashoori (L) and wife Sherry Izadi (R) Credit: AFP When Iranian media reported last week that Britain was about to settle a £400 million debt in exchange for release of prisoners held in Iran, the mood in Anoosheh Ashoori's cell in Tehran's Evin prison rose. "There was a sense of massive excitement in the prison ward. It was like a spark of hope among the prisoners," said Sherry Izadi, his wife. "I had to tell him on the phone that both sides had denied it, but that didn't seem to deter him."