The British government has deliberately delayed taking steps necessary to secure the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe – including payment of a £400m debt owed to Iran – for fear of offending the Trump administration, lawyers acting for the British-Iranian woman have alleged.
In a seven-page letter to the defence secretary, Ben Wallace, the lawyers accuse the government of procrastination and claim the UK’s approach to securing the release of dual nationals from Tehran jails has been far less effective than those of other countries – including the US. A BBC Panorama programme broadcast a similar charge on Monday night.
Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been under effective house arrest in Tehran since March when she was given temporary release from prison having served four years of a five-year sentence for alleged espionage. She was arrested in Tehran in April 2016. » | Patrick Wintour | Monday, August 24, 2020
