Nazanin ‘was set to be freed’, claims probe
Nazanin Zaghari-ratcliffe is a “hostage” in Iran and was on the brink of being freed from jail in Iran almost two-and-ahalf years ago until a planned deal collapsed, according to a new documentary.
The mother-of-one’s husband Richard Ratcliffe said the family had even been given a date of 28 December, 2017 for his wife’s return to the UK. It is unclear why the deal fell through.
The revelations were made during a BBC Panorama investigation into the detention of British and other western citizens in Iran, which airs tonight on BBC One at 7.30pm.
It has long been claimed Mrs Zaghari-ratcliffe is being held in order to force the UK into settling a multi-million pound dispute with Iran dating back to the 1970s. Panorama said that according to its sources, the UK Ministry of Defence has objected to the repayment.
The UK Foreign Office said they do not “recognise any linkage” between the debt and her imprisonment, adding “it is unhelpful to suggest otherwise”.