The leaders of the alleged “London office” of Iran’s brutal Islamic Revolution Guards Corps have been stripped of their powers by the Charity Commission.

The charity watchdog has appointed an “interim manager” to run the organisation behind the Islamic Centre of England, which senior MPs have described as an “outreach centre” for the Islamic regime.

A long running investigation by the Commission found the centre’s trustees failed to comply with their legal duties and responsibilities and to protect the charity’s assets.

The watchdog has now appointed solicitor Emma Moody to oversee the charity and carry out a review of its governance and administration and make recommendations about its future.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, GettyImages-57181341

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (Getty Images)

The move comes after the JC had revealed how the Maida Vale-based centre had regularly hosted extremist preachers and its director, Seyed Moosavi, the UK representative of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had called protesters against the regime “soldiers of Satan”.

In 2020, the watchdog issued an official warning against the organisation after it held a vigil to mourn the IRGC terrorist mastermind Qasem Soleimani when he was killed by a US drone strike. The Commission also demanded it put together an anti-extremism “action plan” and, when it failed to comply, launched a statutory inquiry.

Qasem Soleimani GettyImages-451588248

Qasem Soleimani (GettyImages)

Announcing the measures, Commission chairman, Orlando Fraser KC, said: “We need to act robustly where serious concerns about a I charity exist, so that the public, and the charity sector itself, can have confidence in what it means to have charitable status.

The appointment of an interim manager will help the Commission ensure the charity’s governance is restored and is improved to a better standard.”

The decision was welcomed by Tory MP Alicia Kearns who has previously warned about its activities. She said the decision “sends a strong message” and would reassure Britain’s Iranian dissidents. However, she added: “I remain of the view that it must be closed down.”