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Boris Johnson Arrives in Iran to Press for Release for Detained Briton
Boris Johnson Presses Iran on Detained Britons
(about 4 hours later)
TEHRAN — Britain’s foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, arrived in Tehran on Saturday as part of a three-nation tour of the Middle East, tasked with paying a huge outstanding debt to the Iranian government and with pushing for the release of a dual citizen jailed on sedition charges.
TEHRAN — Britain’s foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, expressed concern on Saturday in Tehran about British-Iranian citizens detained in Iran, a group that includes Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, whose trial and imprisonment has stirred tensions between the two nations.
Mr. Johnson’s visit is his first to the region as foreign minister, and the first to Iran by a British foreign secretary since 2015, the Foreign Office said. He is expected to discuss the Iran nuclear agreement with his counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, along with other issues such as regional security and the conflict in Yemen, which has spawned one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Mr. Johnson, who was accused of worsening Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s situation with remarks earlier this year, met with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during his first visit to the region as foreign secretary. They were to discuss a number of issues, including Britain’s debt to the Iranian government, the Iran nuclear agreement and the conflict in Yemen, which has spawned one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
“My first visit is an opportunity to hold further discussions on a series of crucial issues,” Mr. Johnson said in a statement, “including how we can find a political solution to the devastating conflict in Yemen and secure greater humanitarian access to ease the immense suffering there.”
Before the trip, Mr. Johnson said in a statement that he would also “stress my grave concerns about our dual national consular cases and press for their release where there are humanitarian grounds to do so.” The British Foreign Office said later on Saturday that Mr. Johnson “had a constructive meeting” with Mr. Zarif that included discussion of the cases.
“I will also underline the U.K.’s continued support for the nuclear deal, while making clear our concerns about some of Iran’s activity in the region.”
Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 38, an employee of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the independent charitable arm of the news agency, was arrested in 2016 while she and her daughter, a toddler, were visiting family in Iran. Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe was sentenced to a five-year prison term on charges of plotting to overthrow Iran’s government.
He said he would also “stress my grave concerns about our dual national consular cases and press for their release where there are humanitarian grounds to do so.”
This year, Mr. Johnson infuriated those working to free Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe by saying she had been “simply teaching people journalism” in Iran. Her employer, relatives and local parliamentary representative said his statement about her activities was untrue.
Relations between the two nations had been frosty since hard-liners ransacked the British Embassy in the Iranian capital in 2011, a move that led to its closing.
Days later, Mr. Johnson’s words were cited at a court hearing as evidence that Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe had engaged in “propaganda against the regime.” Mr. Johnson apologized for what he said had been a mistake.
Ties improved after Iran stuck a nuclear agreement with Western nations in 2015, but that pact is under scrutiny by President Trump, who has threatened to scrap it. The British foreign secretary, as well as representatives of other signatories of the agreement — China, France, Germany and Russia — have expressed full support for the deal.
Relations between the Iran and Britain had been frosty since hard-liners ransacked the British Embassy in the Iranian capital in 2011, a move that led to its closing. Ties improved after Iran struck a nuclear agreement with Western nations in 2015, but many Iranian hard-liners distrust Britain, accusing the country of having historically meddled in its affairs, and view Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe as a spy.
But the secretive trial and detention of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 38, a citizen of both Britain and Iran, have deepened tensions between the two nations again. Many Iranian hard-liners distrust Britain, accusing the country of having historically meddled in its affairs. They also view Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe as a spy.
Mr. Johnson’s three-day trip to the Middle East took him to Oman on Friday, and he is expected to visit the United Arab Emirates on Sunday.
An employee of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the independent charitable arm of the news agency, Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in 2016 while she and her daughter, a toddler, were visiting family in Iran.
Britain is considering settling a longstanding debt to Iran by repaying about 400 million pounds, or about $537 million, from a pre-1979 arms deal involving hundreds of Chieftain tanks that were never delivered.
Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe was sentenced to a five-year prison term on charges of planning the “soft toppling” of Iran’s government.
Both Britain and Iran say a repayment would not be tied to Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s case, though the United States made a similar payment to Iran in 2016, around the time that four American citizens were released.
This year, Mr. Johnson infuriated her family and those working to free her by saying she had been “simply teaching people journalism” in Iran. He was accused of worsening her plight, with Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s employer, relatives and local parliamentary representative saying his statement about her activities in Iran was false and had created additional risks for her.
Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s husband, Richard Ratcliffe, who had pushed to join Mr. Johnson on the visit, has raised concerns about his wife’s mental health, citing the growing toll of her prolonged incarceration in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison.
Days after Mr. Johnson’s comments, Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe had a new court hearing, in which his words were cited as evidence that she had engaged in “propaganda against the regime.” The foreign minister later apologized for what he said had been a mistake.
Mr. Ratcliffe told British news outlets recently that his wife faced trial on new charges on Sunday that carry the possibility of 16 more years in prison.
Mr. Johnson was now expected to lobby Mr. Zarif for the release of Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe and other dual citizens being held in Iran.
Iran has held several foreigners on charges such as espionage, a continuing source of tension with Western nations. Many of the detainees are Iranians with dual citizenship.
Britain is considering settling a longstanding debt to Iran by repaying about 400 million pounds, or almost $537 million at current exchange rates, from a pre-1979 arms deal involving hundreds of Chieftain tanks that were never delivered.
Both Britain and Iran say the repayment would not be tied to Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s case, though the United States made a similar payment to Iran around the time of the release in 2016 of four American citizens.
Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s husband, Richard Ratcliffe, who had lobbied to join Mr. Johnson on the visit, has raised concerns about his wife’s mental health, citing the growing toll of her prolonged incarceration in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison.
Mr. Ratcliffe told British news outlets recently that his wife faced trial on new charges on Sunday that carry the possibility of 16 more years in prison. He has said he feared for his wife’s health after finding out that she had been taken to a hospital to see a specialist after finding lumps in her breasts, according to the BBC.
He also said he was concerned she might be on the verge of “a nervous breakdown.”
Iran has held several foreigners on charges such as espionage, a continuing source of tension with Western nations, particularly the United States and Britain. Many of the detainees are Iranians with dual citizenship.
But Tehran has signaled that it was willing to swap the detainees for Iranians held in the United States, in addition to seeking to clear old debts and the release of at least 14 Iranians it says have been unfairly imprisoned or prosecuted by the United States or its allies.
At least four Americans and two permanent residents of the United States are known to be held in Iranian prisons. A fifth American, Robert A. Levinson, vanished in Iran more than a decade ago.
At least four Americans and two permanent residents of the United States are known to be held in Iranian prisons. A fifth American, Robert A. Levinson, vanished in Iran more than a decade ago.
Mr. Johnson’s three-day trip to the Middle East took him to Oman on Friday, and he is expected to move on to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday. The state-run news agency IRNA said Mr. Johnson would also meet President Hassan Rouhani.
One of the incarcerated Americans, Xiyue Wang, a graduate student in history from Princeton University, was recently transferred to an Evin Prison wing where he feels extremely unsafe because of hostility from other inmates, according to his wife, Hua Qu. She is able to speak with him sometimes on a phone line monitored by the Iranian authorities.
His visit comes amid mounting anger and protest over President Trump’s decision to move the United States Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.
In a phone interview on Saturday, she said her husband had been threatened by an inmate once held by the United States at Guantánamo Bay.
“He feels like he’s living in terror every day,” she said. “I’m deeply worried about how the U.S. is going to resolve the case. I hope they accelerate the effort.”
Human Rights Watch also expressed concern on Saturday about worsening conditions for Mr. Wang, who was convicted on charges of spying for the United States after he had done research for his thesis on 19th-century archives that were open to the public.
Mr. Wang has strongly denied any wrongdoing, and Princeton has urged Iran to release him.
