Return of British Foreign Secretary to London; Nazanin Zaghari's Court Hearing Did Not Take Place

Simultaneously with Boris Johnson's two-day visit to Iran, the family of Nazanin Zaghari, a dual-national prisoner in Iran, announced that her court hearing, which was scheduled for Sunday, December 10, in Tehran, has been postponed. Boris Johnson left Iran without commenting on Nazanin Zaghari's situation or the possibility of her release during a press conference. He met with several officials of the Islamic Republic but did not attend the usual press conference following these meetings. Hossein Alizadeh stated, "I believe that regardless of whether the negotiations were positive or negative, both sides deemed it appropriate not to raise the issue while the British Foreign Secretary is on Iranian soil." Hossein Alizadeh, a former diplomat and researcher at the Peace Studies Center at the University of Tampere in Finland, commented on why Mr. Johnson did not hold a press conference after meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, saying, "According to reports, which have been reflected by many British media, all of Mr. Johnson's negotiations in Tehran were very explicit, meaning that everything that was in dispute between the two sides was clearly put on the negotiating table. Multiple cases were raised during this trip, and everything was discussed openly. I believe that regardless of whether the meeting was positive or negative, both sides deemed it appropriate not to raise it while the British Foreign Secretary is in Iran." The British Foreign Secretary traveled to Tehran to consult on the status of Nazanin Zaghari, a project manager at the Thomson Reuters Foundation, who is imprisoned in Iran on security charges. Iranian news agencies did not report on Mr. Johnson's negotiations with the Iranian Foreign Minister regarding Ms. Zaghari. However, a spokesperson for the British Foreign Office stated that Boris Johnson and Hassan Rouhani explicitly discussed obstacles to Tehran-London relations during a one-hour negotiation and agreed that progress should be made in all areas. Iranian state television reported that bilateral relations, the nuclear agreement, and regional developments were the main topics of discussion. The Guardian newspaper reported that in a brief statement released after the meeting between Boris Johnson and Hassan Rouhani, details were mentioned regarding restrictions imposed by Britain and the U.S. on Iranian banking and Britain's concerns about the status of dual-national citizens imprisoned in Iran. Richard Ratcliffe stated, "I know there are no guarantees, but I know that Mr. Johnson's trip to Tehran is a positive step. However, officials in Mr. Johnson's office told me not to be too hopeful that Nazanin will be with us during Christmas. I also said I would not be waiting, but I maintain my hope that she will be home in London for Christmas." Boris Johnson had previously stated that Nazanin Zaghari was teaching journalism in Iran. This statement faced significant criticism. Ms. Zaghari was arrested last year while returning from Iran to Britain at the airport and was ultimately sentenced to five years in prison. She has been accused of conspiracy to overthrow the Iranian government. Her family and the Thomson Reuters Foundation claim that Ms. Zaghari traveled to Tehran to visit her family. Richard Ratcliffe, Nazanin Zaghari's husband, told Radio Farda, "I know there are no guarantees. But I know that Mr. Johnson's trip to Tehran is a positive step. He emphasizes a humanitarian way to resolve this case with this trip. However, officials in Mr. Johnson's office told me not to be too hopeful that Nazanin will be with us during Christmas. I also said I would not be waiting, but I maintain my hope that she will be home in London for Christmas." As British media previously reported, London is seeking to pay back £400 million of Iran's frozen assets. This money is part of a military contract made during the Pahlavi regime, which has not been repaid due to sanctions over the decades. Some international analysts and some hardliners in Iran do not see the timing of the payment of this money and the request for Nazanin Zaghari's release as unrelated. However, Iran rejects this analysis. Another dual-national Iranian-British prisoner, Kamal Faroughi, 77 years old, has been imprisoned in Iran for seven years on charges of "espionage." Mojtaba Vahedi, an analyst on Iranian issues in the U.S., told Radio Farda, "In general, not only regarding prisoners, whenever the government has had to concede an international concession, unfortunately, it has increased pressure domestically to compensate for that humiliation. I hope Ms. Zaghari's issue is resolved, but my concern is that to compensate for this issue, they may create problems elsewhere, either in foreign relations or increase pressure on the people." Boris Johnson met with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on Saturday and emphasized Britain's commitment to the nuclear agreement with Iran during this meeting. Before traveling to Tehran, Mr. Johnson visited Oman and met with Sultan Qaboos, the king of that country, which is recognized as a mediator between Iran and Western countries and has previously played a role in nuclear negotiations and the release of Western prisoners. A spokesperson for the British Foreign Office stated after the meeting between Boris Johnson and Hassan Rouhani that there is a feeling that both sides want to resolve the issues surrounding the relations between the two countries. Both sides also want to maintain the nuclear agreement between Iran and the six world powers. Reza Taghizadeh stated, "The British government supports maintaining the nuclear agreement and has a disagreement with the U.S. government on this issue. The Islamic Republic of Iran wants to take advantage of this situation." Reza Taghizadeh, a political analyst in Glasgow, UK, told Radio Farda, "The British government supports maintaining the nuclear agreement and has a disagreement with the U.S. government on this issue. The Islamic Republic of Iran wants to take advantage of this situation, but the British government is facing serious problems at home." He added, "Mr. Johnson has also been under a lot of pressure in recent weeks. For this reason, we should expect that Britain will have very little influence to affect Iran. It seems unlikely that British oil companies, especially BP, will show interest in investing in Tehran. Regarding major British companies, these are institutions that must show their interest, and given the free economy in Britain, the government does not have much influence in this regard." Donald Trump, the President of the United States, has called the nuclear agreement with Iran the worst deal possible and on October 14, he also refrained from re-certifying Tehran's compliance with the terms of the JCPOA. Mr. Trump has ordered Congress to decide within a 60-day period on re-imposing sanctions on Iran or continuing the JCPOA. Hamid Baeidinejad, Iran's ambassador to London, described Mr. Johnson's visit as a special trip in which all aspects of the two countries' relations, including economic, political, regional, and international issues, were discussed. During his two-day trip to Tehran, Boris Johnson met not only with Hassan Rouhani but also with Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Foreign Minister, Ali Larijani, the Speaker of Parliament, Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization.