Middle East

Britain is preparing to transfer £400 million to Iran to secure “goodwill” as the Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, vowed to do “everything” he could to release Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. Officials have sought legal advice on how to circumvent US and United Nations sanctions that have so far prevented them from handing over the money. Diplomats believe handing over the money could help speed up Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s release from jail. The money has been in Britain since a controversial arms deal with Iran during the Seventies. However, it is being held in an account frozen by the courts and Britain agrees it should be returned. A famous Arab singer will stand trial next month in her native Egypt over a video clip in which she advises a concert fan against drinking from the Nile River. The clip shows Sherine Abdel-Wahab, widely known by her first name, saying “You are better off drinking Evian”. The fan had asked her to sing one of her hit songs, named for an Egyptian saying, that one who drinks from the Nile is bound to return. Sherine now faces a host of charges, including incitement and harming the public interest. The remark, clearly made in jest, set social media ablaze. Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad alHariri and his family will travel to France in coming days, a French presidential source says, after President Emmanuel Macron invited him as part of efforts to defuse tensions in the Middle East.