Hope for jailed mum as Iran offers ‘swap’
JAILED mother Nazanin Zaghari- Ratcliffe could be released as part of a prisoner swap, it was claimed last night.
Iran’s foreign minister Javad Zarif said he has the will and ‘authority’ to swap her for an Iranian held overseas, singling out a woman in Australia who has given birth behind bars.
He said: ‘She has been lingering in an Australian jail for the past three years. Now we hear about Nazanin Zaghari and her child and I feel sorry for them, and have done my best to help. But nobody talks about this lady in Australia who gave birth in prison.
‘So, what can I do as a foreign minister? I put this offer on the table publicly now. Exchange them.’ He added he is ‘ready to do it’ and had told the US government this ‘six months ago’ with no response.
Mrs Zaghari- Ratcliffe, 41, was jailed for five years in Iran in 2016 for alleged spying, which she denies.