Is the Arak Heavy Water Reactor the Key to Nazanin Zaghari's Freedom?

The option of granting diplomatic cover by the British government to Ms. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has emerged 24 hours after Britain's name was mentioned as a substitute for the United States in the design and construction group of the Arak heavy water reactor. Following her three-day leave from prison, this can be seen as a sign of progress in political negotiations between Tehran and London aimed at resolving mutual disputes after the appointment of Jeremy Hunt as the new British Foreign Secretary. International law allows countries to support their citizens in any legitimate manner, and granting diplomatic cover is one of the methods used for this purpose, as referenced in the legal framework established by Emmerich de Vattel in his 'Law of Nations' in 1758. The third chapter of the Vienna Convention (the 1961 international treaty regarding political relations between independent countries) also emphasizes the use of diplomatic cover to protect a citizen who has been deprived of their natural rights. Although the concept of granting diplomatic cover by Britain to Ms. Zaghari, while she is imprisoned in a foreign country (Iran), regardless of her dual nationality, could be considered an aggressive move, it could also lead to her release from prison and return to Britain either directly (granting political protection) or indirectly (using it as leverage to open other channels). Tehran's concerns arose shortly after the announcement of the formation of the 'Iran Action Group' at the U.S. State Department led by Brian Hook in mid-August. John Bolton, the White House National Security Advisor, embarked on a two-day mission to Tel Aviv and, at the end of his visit, mentioned 'other actions' against the Islamic Republic, in addition to the reimposition of sanctions. Forming an informal international coalition against Tehran, alongside imposing economic sanctions, is among the plans that the current U.S. administration is pursuing to enforce sanctions rigorously and monitor Iran's trade and financial movements, with the 'Iran Action Group' managing this effort. As the time for new U.S. sanctions against Iran approaches, the Islamic Republic has initiated intensified diplomatic efforts to escape further political isolation and increasing financial constraints, with Britain being one of Tehran's most important European targets to reduce external pressures. In the past, the Islamic Republic has frequently used the detention of dual-national Iranians and their release in exchange for concessions from foreign countries, and the previous U.S. administration under Donald Trump was accused of paying heavy financial compensation to Tehran for the release of Iranian-American citizens. In January 2016, four Iranian-American individuals; Jason Rezaian, Amir Hekmati, Nasratollah Khosravi, and Saeed Abedini, who were held in Iranian prisons, were released in a financial agreement and the exchange of Iranian prisoners in the U.S., and a fifth American named Matthew Trevithick was released in a separate exchange on the 26th of that month. Currently, several dual-national citizens residing in the U.S. and Europe are imprisoned in the Islamic Republic on charges of espionage or actions against the Iranian political system, one of the most well-known of whom is Ms. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. Nazanin Zaghari was arrested at the airport while leaving Iran on April 4, 2016, and was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of attempting 'soft overthrow.' The main request of Britain from the Islamic Republic is the release of Nazanin Zaghari, while the most important demand of the Islamic Republic from Britain is the release of the equivalent of $650 million in principal and interest claims arising from the outstanding contract of 1974 for the purchase and construction of the Chieftain tank factory in Isfahan, which Boris Johnson, the then British Foreign Secretary, pursued during his mission to Tehran last December but did not succeed. Kamal Faroughi, a 75-year-old British citizen, has been in Evin prison for six years, and Britain is also seeking his release alongside Ms. Zaghari. In addition to the $650 million demand from Britain, which has faced a new problem since two months ago with the announcement of the German central bank's decision to refrain from paying $400 million in cash claims to Tehran, (Britain cannot take actions contrary to those of a large European government), Iran has raised other demands from the Westminster government, including continuing its presence in the JCPOA, not complying with U.S. sanctions, providing facilities for banking transactions, and keeping the 'Ramsar' gas field, jointly owned by Iran and British Petroleum in the North Sea, active. Compared to the situation in December last year when Boris Johnson traveled to Tehran to negotiate with the Iranian government and secure Nazanin Zaghari's release, and apparently did not succeed due to the insistence of certain branches of the government to obtain more concessions from Britain, the conditions for foreign negotiations for the Islamic Republic have become more difficult today. Compared to the behaviors of Boris Johnson, the former British Foreign Secretary, who did not show much interest in following Trump's policies regarding Iran and Europe, the current Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt appears to be more aligned with the Prime Minister and more compatible with U.S. foreign policy. A new round of political negotiations between the Islamic Republic and Britain began on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, led by Abbas Araghchi, the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic, and continued with the initiative of Hamid Baeidinejad, the ambassador of the Rouhani government in London, with speculation indicating that the bilateral negotiations may have reached preliminary results. The Islamic Republic, recognizing the increasing external difficulties and before new problems arise, seems to have agreed to arrangements with Britain that the substitution of the United States in the group of three countries designing and constructing the Arak heavy water reactor by that country and, in return, the possible release of Ms. Zaghari could be considered part of the undeclared political agreements between the two countries.