US won’t oppose debt deal with Iran to free Nazanin

President Joe Biden will not object if Britain settles a decades-old debt to Iran in an effort to secure Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s release, America’s chief diplomat has said. ZaghariRatcliffe, 42, a charity worker, was sentenced last week to a year in jail in Iran in what her family believe is an attempt to keep her as a bargaining chip in negotiations with Britain. She had recently completed a five-year sentence on spying charges, which she denied. Some, including her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, believe her detention is linked to the £400 million (NZ$768m) debt, which relates to a contract for tanks Iran struck with Britain in the 1970s. Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, said of such a move: ‘‘It’s a sovereign decision for the United Kingdom.’’ Blinken said he was ‘‘not going to get into details of any negotiations’’.