British Foreign Secretary to Visit Tehran Early Next Week

It is reported that Boris Johnson, the British Foreign Secretary, is set to travel to Tehran early next week to convey concerns regarding Iran's actions in the region and to discuss the freedom of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian citizen imprisoned in Iran, with officials of the Islamic Republic. According to The Guardian and other British media, this will be Boris Johnson's first visit to Iran, during which he will negotiate the repayment of a £400 million debt with Iranian officials, and it is likely that resolving this issue will facilitate the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, an employee of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was sentenced to five years in prison by Iranian judicial authorities on charges of 'conspiracy' to overthrow the Islamic Republic, which she denies. She was arrested two years ago while traveling to Iran with her young daughter. Meanwhile, last month, Boris Johnson's comments regarding Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe sparked reactions in Britain, and he was even forced to apologize for his remarks. The British Foreign Secretary stated that Ms. Zaghari was engaged in teaching journalism in Iran prior to her arrest, a claim that both Nazanin Zaghari and her employer deny. Reports indicate that Boris Johnson also emphasized in a conversation with reporters on Thursday that he would raise issues such as Iran's provision of missiles to Hezbollah in Lebanon and assistance to the Houthis in Yemen for firing missiles towards Riyadh during his visit to Iran. Such actions would instill fear and create terror in this region of the Middle East, he stated, describing them as destructive and dangerous behavior. This is the message he intends to convey. Western countries and Arab nations in the Persian Gulf accuse Iran of interfering in the internal affairs of regional countries and creating chaos, which Iran denies. The Guardian also reports that Iranian officials are interested in hearing Boris Johnson's ideas regarding banking relations in light of U.S. sanctions. Concerns over potential U.S. sanctions have prevented major British banks from cooperating with Iran. The UK is among the supporters of maintaining the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers, known as the JCPOA. Boris Johnson had previously urged the U.S. President not to withdraw from the JCPOA.