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Jeremy Hunt is visiting Iran on Monday, where he will make a personal appeal for the immediate release of the Iranian-British Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe Double Nation for humanitarian reasons.
The Foreign Minister will also call on Iran to stop using Zaghari-Ratcliffe and other national doubles as diplomatic pressure tools.
Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in April 2016 while her daughter and she were preparing to take a flight back to the UK after a visit to her family in Iran. She was found guilty of espionage and sentenced to five years imprisonment. She denies the allegations and her critical situation has left a shadow over the Iran-UK relations.
In August, she obtained a three-day release from Evin Prison, but her request for an extension was denied and she was forced to say goodbye to her four-year-old daughter, Gabriella, and return to her home. prison, where she panicked. attack. Her family decided not to apply for new temporary releases because of the enormous strains she endured.
Before meeting with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Hunt said, "More than anything, we must see these innocent Iranian-British doubles citizens imprisoned in Iran return to their families in Britain. I have just heard too many heartrending stories of families who have been forced to undergo a terrible separation. I am coming to Iran with a clear message to the country's leaders: putting innocent people in jail can not and should not be used as a means of diplomatic pressure. "
Hunt twice met Richard, the husband of Zaghari-Ratcliffe, promising that he would spare no effort to secure his release.
It was hoped that Hunt's takeover of Boris Johnson in August, combined with Britain's decision to stick to the Iran nuclear deal despite sustained US pressure, could prompt Tehran to release Zaghari-Ratcliffe for humanitarian reasons.
Hunt's visit will be the first of a European foreign minister since the United States withdrew from the deal, although Mr Zarif met with EU ministers in Vienna to urge Europe to do more to protect European companies that are still seeking to trade with Iran from the consequences of US sanctions. .
The United States withdrew from the agreement signed by Barack Obama in 2015, saying it was fraught with difficulties and announced that they would impose sanctions, including fines and the freezing assets, to the American branch of any European company seeking to continue trading with Iran.
Brian Hook, US Special Representative for Iran, said last week that he was convinced that almost no European company was willing to risk US sanctions. A succession of companies withdrew from planned investments in Iran, leaving some medium-sized organizations without any US business to assess the risk of continuing their operations.
The British decision to side with France and Germany provoked a break with Washington. Donald Trump reportedly accused Theresa May of a phone call from May to congratulate the US president on the results of the mid-term elections. The latest installment of US sanctions on Iran, including any Iranian oil importing country, came into effect on November 5.
The United Kingdom – unlike the United States – believes that the economic pressure exerted by the United States on Iran will not force the country to reopen the agreement and, a fortiori, will only strengthen the Iranian extremists.
Some influential Republicans are convinced that the Iranian regime is about to collapse and Hunt's visit will be a brief opportunity to test this assessment.
Hunt will insist that the UK remains committed to the nuclear deal as long as Iran sticks to its terms and will discuss Europe's efforts to maintain relief. sanctions related to nuclear power. The UK said that because of Brexit, it could not accommodate the EU's special-purpose vehicle, a device that would allow companies to continue trading with Iran while avoiding US sanctions. It is unclear whether a country is willing to risk sanctions by hosting the SPV, which is a serious blow to Europe's efforts to show its independence from US foreign policy.
Hunt said: "The Iran nuclear deal remains an essential element of stability in the Middle East by eliminating the threat of a nuclear Iran. However, he needs 100% compliance to survive. We will stick to our side of the market as long as Iran will do it. But we must also stop the destabilizing activities of Iran in the rest of the region if we want to tackle the root causes of the challenges facing the region. "
Hunt will also discuss Yemen and highlight his concern over the reports, documented by the UN panel of experts, that Iran has provided ballistic missiles and weapons to the Houthis, in violation of international law. resolutions of the Security Council. The United Kingdom will present Monday to the UN Security Council a draft resolution outlining plans for a ceasefire leading up to talks.
