UK Grants Diplomatic Support to Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe; Reaction from Iranian Ambassador

On Thursday, March 7, Jeremy Hunt, the UK Foreign Secretary, announced that due to the "unacceptable" behavior of the Islamic Republic towards Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, an Iranian-British citizen imprisoned in Tehran, he would grant her "diplomatic support." Hours later, in response to this action by the UK Foreign Secretary, the Iranian ambassador in London condemned it and deemed it to lack "executive" effect. Jeremy Hunt stated in a statement: "Today I decided that the UK would grant diplomatic support to Nazanin Zaghari in a very unusual step." The UK Foreign Secretary added: "This is equivalent to the UK government officially declaring that the treatment of her is inconsistent with Iran's commitments under international law, and this turns the issue into an official matter between the two governments." Thus, any harm or damage that comes to Ms. Zaghari would be seen as Iran causing harm to the UK. Mr. Hunt further acknowledged that "it is unlikely that this action will work miracles and yield results overnight," but nonetheless, "this action will show the whole world that Nazanin is innocent and that the UK will not merely stand by when one of its citizens is treated unjustly." According to AFP, under international law, the declaration of diplomatic support is a rare legal action and is granted when a citizen of one country has their rights disregarded in another country, turning the case into a dispute between the two governments, which can affect the relations between the two countries. Jeremy Hunt stated that the "unacceptable behavior" towards Nazanin Zaghari over the past three years led to this decision. The UK Foreign Secretary said she was deprived of medication and medical treatment, despite needing it urgently. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, an employee of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was arrested by the Revolutionary Guards at the airport on April 3, 2016, while leaving Iran. She was accused by the Revolutionary Guards of collaborating with institutions opposed to the Islamic Republic and participating in "soft overthrow" activities, and the court sentenced her to five years in prison. These charges have been denied by her and her lawyer. Hamid Baeidinejad, the Iranian ambassador to the UK, reacted to Jeremy Hunt's decision on Twitter, stating: "The UK Foreign Ministry's decision to grant diplomatic support to Ms. Zaghari is contrary to international law and lacks legal and executive effects. International law only allows for diplomatic support from governments to their own citizens. According to Iranian law, Iranians retain their citizenship regardless of their place of residence." The Islamic Republic does not recognize dual citizenship.