Boris Johnson: I have asked Iranian officials to release dual nationals

Boris Johnson, the UK Foreign Secretary, stated on Monday, December 20, that during his meeting with Iranian officials, he requested the release of Iranian-British dual nationals. According to Reuters, Mr. Johnson, who was present in the UK Parliament, said: "I called for their release on humanitarian grounds." He added: "The issues are somewhat complicated because Iran considers these individuals its citizens. Therefore, I do not want to raise false hopes. However, my trip to Tehran was worth it. It is still too early to be certain about the outcomes of this trip." Nazanin Zaghari and Kamal Foroughi are two Iranian-British citizens imprisoned in Iran, both accused of espionage by the Iranian judiciary. Ms. Foroughi, who is 77 years old, has been imprisoned for seven years. Nazanin Zaghari, an employee of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was arrested at the airport while returning to the UK from Iran in June 2016 and sentenced to five years in prison. The UK Foreign Office announced on Monday that Boris Johnson addressed the issue of these Iranian-British citizens during his negotiations with Hassan Rouhani in Tehran. Some reports indicate that Mr. Johnson had a 45-minute meeting with Nazanin Zaghari's family on Sunday, December 19. Previously, the UK Foreign Secretary referred to Nazanin Zaghari as a journalist, while the Thomson Reuters Foundation stated that Ms. Zaghari has never worked as a journalist and that her trip to Iran was to visit family. Iranian officials considered Mr. Johnson's statement as evidence of Nazanin Zaghari's guilt, but the UK Foreign Office clarified that such a statement does not justify any accusations. On Monday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirmed that one of the main topics of Boris Johnson's discussions with Iranian officials was Nazanin Zaghari's prison sentence. Bahram Qasemi stated: "Ms. Zaghari is Iranian and has been convicted according to our judicial system and is serving her sentence." He added: "The Iranian Foreign Minister stated during the discussions that he would raise this issue with Iranian officials considering humanitarian matters, but this is a judicial matter."