Truss demands ‘immediate release’ of Zaghari-ratcliffe

LIZ TRUSS has demanded the “immediate release” of Nazanin Zaghari-ratcliffe, in the run-up to meeting her Iranian counterpart today.

The newly appointed Foreign Secretary has promised to raise the case of the 42-year-old, British-iranian mother of one, who is under house arrest in Iran, when she holds talks with Hossein Amir-abdollahian, Iran’s foreign minister. The two ministers are to meet at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, after talks were postponed earlier this week.

Ms Truss made her intervention as Iran’s president signalled yesterday he would return to nuclear talks with the West but demanded the lifting of what he called “illegal” American sanctions in an address to the UN outlining a combative foreign policy.

Ebrahim Raisi, who was elected in June, said during a pre-recorded address to the General Assembly that Iran “considers useful talks whose ultimate outcome is the lifting of all oppressive sanctions,” but also said that he did not trust American promises and said only the US had violated the original nuclear deal.

He added that the US withdrawal from Afghanistan proved the “American hegemonic system was broken” and demanded it pull troops out of Iraq and Syria.

On a train in Washington DC yesterday, Ms Truss told reporters she would be “hard headed” and “proactive” in her approach to securing the release of detained British-iranians.

“I’ve spoken to the families of the detainees in Iran. It’s completely unacceptable that they’re being held there

‘It’s unacceptable that they’re being held there and I’m going to be very proactive in pushing for their release’

and I’m going to be very proactive in pushing for their release,” she said.

Asked what she will say to the Iranians, she said: “I’m pushing for her immediate release.” Ms Truss is also expected to bring up the cases of Anoosheh Ashoori and Morad Tahbaz, and will call on Tehran to comply with its nuclear commitments.

Ms Zaghari-ratcliffe’s husband, Richard, reported he had a “good” discussion with Ms Truss in a 10-minute phone call at the weekend, as he urged the Foreign Secretary to make his wife’s case her top priority.