Jailed British mother’s case will be re-examined after ‘positive’ talks

Boris Johnson will update MPS on efforts to secure the release of Nazanin Zaghariratcliffe following his trip to Iran as Tehran’s foreign ministry asked the country’s judiciary to examine her case on humanitarian grounds.

The Foreign Secretary raised the plight of the jailed British mother during his official visit to Iran on Saturday.

He will deliver a statement in the Commons on the outcome of his trip, which also saw him travel to Oman and the United Arab Emirates.

In Tehran, Iran’s foreign ministry said it would raise the case with the judiciary “out of humanitarian concerns” following the visit by Mr Johnson.

Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said the final decisiononwhethertorelease Ms Zaghari-ratcliffe, who is serving a five-year sentence for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government, rests with the judiciary.

Tehran does not recognise Ms Zaghari-ratcliffe’s dual nationality and is treating her as an Iranian national.

Ms Zaghari-ratcliffe “is considered an Iranian national and should serve her prison conviction according to the judicial system of Iran”, Mr Ghasemi said.

Ms Zaghari-ratcliffe’s husband, Richard Ratcliffe, said there had been “positive consequences” as a result of the talks, including the postponement of a new court case. Having always been keen to have his wife home for Christmas and for her birthday which follows soon after, he said he was optimistic that this was still achievable.

“But as Christmas gets closer it gets harder to expect,” he added. “I wasn’t presuming that she would come back on the plane with him (Mr Johnson). So I think for me, it was always best case scenario that his going would unlock the door and then days later she might be able to come home.”