Iran's Foreign Ministry: Zaghari's Case Has No Relation to Britain's Debt

Following the British Foreign Secretary's visit to Iran and London's renewed efforts for the release of Nazanin Zaghari and Iranian-British dual citizens, the spokesperson for the Islamic Republic's Foreign Ministry stated that Zaghari's case "has no relation to Britain's debt to Iran." According to the Iranian government news agency, IRNA, Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson, said the news of "paying a debt in exchange for freedom" for Nazanin Zaghari is "completely rejected and denied." Qasemi mentioned that raising such an issue is either "out of ignorance" or "derived from certain specific political centers aimed at exerting pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran and with completely pre-planned goals." He did not provide evidence for this part of his statement nor did he elaborate on the nature of these "specific political centers." Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson expressed hope that "with the negotiations and continuous follow-ups that have been conducted, this issue and case will ultimately be resolved favorably and the demands and rights of the Islamic Republic of Iran will be paid and collected." The issue of Britain's debt to Iran dates back to a multi-million-pound arms deal during the last Shah of Iran's era. Exactly a year ago, the British newspaper Telegraph reported that the British government, then led by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, was prepared to repay £400 million (equivalent to $527 million) related to the Shah's era deal in exchange for Nazanin Zaghari's release. This is not the first time the Iranian Foreign Ministry has reacted to the debt issue and Zaghari's case, as similar statements have been made previously. Qasemi's remarks come after a visit by Jeremy Hunt, the British Foreign Secretary, to Iran. Hunt stated that if Iran's policy is to use the detention of dual nationals as a diplomatic pressure tool, such an approach would have costs for Iran. Hunt also met Gabriella, Nazanin Zaghari's daughter, which faced verbal attacks from some hardliners and individuals like Ahmad Khatami, the Tehran Friday Prayer leader. Gabriella lives under the care of her Iranian family in Iran, away from her parents. Nazanin Zaghari, an employee of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was arrested in April 2016 while traveling to Iran with her young daughter and was accused of "attempting to overthrow" the Iranian government, charges that she and her lawyer have repeatedly denied. Abbas Adalat, a mathematics and computer science professor at Imperial College London, is another Iranian-British citizen imprisoned in Iran. He was arrested earlier this year at a relative's home and transferred to Evin Prison. Kamal Faroughi is another dual British citizen, who was arrested by the Iranian security forces about seven years ago and remains in prison.