Britain: We Will Not Cease Efforts for Nazanin Zaghari's Release

Jeremy Hunt, the UK Foreign Secretary, stated that he had a "frank and candid" discussion with his Iranian counterpart regarding Nazanin Zaghari. He emphasized that Britain will not relent in its efforts in this matter. In an interview with Sky News, Hunt mentioned that Iran uses the detention of "innocent" individuals as a "diplomatic pressure tool," which he deemed "unacceptable." Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British citizen who traveled to Iran with her young daughter, was arrested in April 2016. Iranian authorities accused her of attempting to "overthrow" the Islamic Republic and "espionage," charges she has denied. Last month, she was granted a three-day leave before being summoned back to Evin Prison. According to Reuters, Hunt added, "I had a very, very frank conversation with the Iranian Foreign Minister and clearly told him that the continuation of this type of behavior by Iran {in using the detention of individuals as} a diplomatic tool will have consequences for this country." The UK Foreign Secretary stressed that Iran must understand that it will not be allowed to carry out such actions. Previously, UK Prime Minister Theresa May had called for Zaghari's release during a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, expressing "concern" over Zaghari's imprisonment. According to Fars News Agency, Rouhani stated at a conference regarding the status of dual-national prisoners, including Zaghari, that "from a humanitarian perspective, we try to assist all prisoners. The Iranian government is working to provide prisoners access to facilities and information." He added that, however, prisons and courts in Iran, like in other countries, are under the supervision of the judiciary. The Iranian treatment of dual nationals has led the UK to warn its citizens against traveling to Iran, stating that in the event of their imprisonment, London has limited means to assist them. The Islamic Republic does not have a positive view of dual nationals, and currently, several individuals are imprisoned in the country on charges of "espionage." Two years ago, Iran released several Iranian-American citizens in exchange for money, and although this speculation has been raised regarding Zaghari, Iranian officials deny it. Abbas Jadid, a mathematics and computer science professor at Imperial College London, is a dual Iranian-British citizen who has been imprisoned in Iran. He was arrested in early May this year while visiting a relative's home in Tehran for attending a workshop. Kamal Foroughi is another dual Iranian-British citizen who was arrested by Iranian security forces about seven years ago and remains in prison. He was tried for espionage and sentenced to eight years in prison.