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A ÌýdetainedÌýby Iran for five yearsÌý is struggling to adapt to life back in the UKÌýafter enduring "hell" inÌýEvin Prison.

- who wasÌýdetained in Tehran on "false" charges of spying in 2017 - told the BBC he can't believeÌýhe's back with hisÌýfamily after his five-year ordeal but said adapting to life outside jailÌýhas been difficult.

°Õ³ó±ðÌý68-²â±ð²¹°ù-´Ç±ô»å Ìý- alongside fellow former dual national and detainee - as the pair were freed after the .

Human rights groups and Iran experts widely believe the two were used as "hostages" by Iran to secure concessions from the UK.

"I sometimes say this cannot be true... I must be in my cell and I'm expecting any moment to wake up... so I'm preparing myself not to be too upset when I wake up...ÌýIt's still quite a challenge for me to be easy with being here," Ashoori told the BBC.

"Still at night sometimes I touch [my wife] Sherry's hand to see if this is real, if this is happening," he said.

Ashouri - who was sentenced to 10 years in prison -Ìýstrongly denied the espionage chargesÌýagainst him as both his andÌýZaghari-Ratcliffe's families said they were beingÌýheldÌýas political prisoners by Tehran.

Ashouri has since expressed .

"It wasn't me who was important...It was the passport that was being arrested...Ìýbut the holder of that passport was me," Ashoori said, questioning why the debt wasn't paid earlier,Ìýsaying itÌý"had to be paid... [so] why did we have to do through all these years?".

The UK government say they have been "committed to securing the release" of Ashoori.

A government spokesperson told the BBCÌý"itÌýwas always entirely in Iran's gift to do this, but UK ministers and diplomats were tireless in working to secure his freedom".

The historic debtÌýstemmedÌýfromÌýa cancelled 1970sÌýweapons agreement, in which Iran paid for , almost none of whichÌýwere delivered.