UK minister plans straight talk during visit to Tehran
The UK’s Middle East minister has taken a strong stance against Iran’s regional meddling before talks in Tehran where he was expected to raise the case of detained charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
Junior Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt yesterday met Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Iranian state television reported.
“The talks mainly covered economic co-operation and mechanisms of financial and monetary dealings between the two countries after the US withdrawal from the nuclear accord,” the report said.
But Mr Burt was also expected on his two-day visit to press Iran over its behaviour in Yemen and Syria.
“During my visit this week I will stress that Iran’s ballistic missile programme and its destabilising activities in the Middle East must be addressed,” he said before his visit.
“I will also use the opportunity of my visit to push for the resolution we all want to see in the cases of the British dual nationals detained in Iran.”
Mr Burt’s trip is the first by a British minister since the US renewed sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear and missiles programmes.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 40, has been held since April 2016 over allegations that she was spying on the Iranian government, which she has denied. She said she was on holiday visiting family. She was sentenced to five years in prison.
She was released for three days last week to spend time with family and see her young daughter. On returning to prison, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was taken to hospital after fainting.
The UK Foreign Office did not directly mention her case but given the uproar over her treatment, it is likely to be discussed. British-Iranian businessman Kamal Foroughi, 78, was arrested in Iran in May 2011 and jailed on espionage charges for eight years in 2013.
The UK’s new Foreign Minister, Jeremy Hunt, has been vocal about Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and has been praised over the impetus he has put into the case.
“Looks like Iranian legal system is impervious to the simple fact at the heart of this: an innocent woman is desperate to be reunited with her family,” Mr Hunt tweeted last week.
“Spoke to Foreign Minister Zarif on Friday but that clearly wasn’t enough. The fight goes on #FreeNazanin. All our thoughts and prayers with Nazanin and her family today.
“Unbearable suffering to be apart from daughter with her hopes raised then dashed. We must redouble efforts to find a way to get her home.”
European countries have pulled out of deals with Iran and the rial has plummeted as the US government renewed sanctions against Tehran. The UK and EU have disagreed with the move that is projected to savage Iran’s vital oil industry.
“Our support for the nuclear deal, though, does not prevent us strongly challenging Iran on issues where we disagree,” Mr Burt said.