The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development
Affairs (Elizabeth Truss) With permission, Mr Speaker, I would like
to update the House on the release of British nationals from
detention in Iran—and, in parallel, on the repayment of the
International Military Services debt. After years of unfair and
unjust detention by the Government of Iran, Nazanin
Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori have, this afternoon,
finally been allowed to board a plane and...Request free trial
The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development
Affairs ()
With permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to update the House on
the release of British nationals from detention in Iran—and, in
parallel, on the repayment of the International Military Services
debt. After years of unfair and unjust detention by the
Government of Iran, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh
Ashoori have, this afternoon, finally been allowed to board a
plane and leave the country. They are on their way home. They
will land in the UK later today and will be reunited with their
families. Morad Tahbaz has also been released from prison on
furlough. I know that the whole House and the whole country will
rejoice at this news, and share in the relief that their
horrendous ordeal is over.
Nazanin was held in Iran for almost six years, and Anoosheh
almost five. Morad has been in prison for four. Their release is
the result of years of tenacious British diplomacy. I want to
thank our Omani friends and Minister Badr for their help in
bringing our nationals home. I pay tribute to the efforts of many
in this House, particularly the hon. Members for Hampstead and
Kilburn (), and for Lewisham East
(). I pay tribute, as well, to my
predecessors, and my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, who
have all worked hard to resolve this issue. Most of all, I want
to express my admiration for the incredible resolve and
determination shown by Nazanin, Anoosheh, Morad and their
families. I have been in contact with them throughout, as have
our specialist consular teams. Their suffering has moved us all,
and so does the prospect of their being reunited with their loved
ones once again, after this long and cruel separation.
We secured the release, and Morad’s furlough, through intense
diplomatic and political engagement at every level. We stepped up
these efforts over the last six months. On becoming Foreign
Secretary in September, I made resolving the issues of the
continued detention of British nationals and the IMS debt
personal priorities. In my first week, I spoke to the families of
the detainees and met my Iranian counterpart, Minister
Amir-Abdollahian. This was the first in-person meeting of a UK
and Iranian Foreign Minister in three years. We agreed to work
together to resolve the two issues in parallel. I dispatched a
team of Foreign Office negotiators to hold intensive discussions
with senior Iranian officials, in order to secure the release of
our detainees. Officials travelled to Tehran for negotiations in
October and November. A final round of negotiations took place in
Muscat in February, resulting in this agreement.
Our ambassador in Tehran, Simon Shercliff, has also been in
constant talks with Iranian Ministers and seniors officials. I
spoke to Minister Amir-Abdollahian in October to progress the
talks. In December, I met Minister Badr and secured Oman’s
assistance in this important work. In February, I held
discussions with Minister Amir-Abdollahian again, to drive the
talks to a final conclusion. We will continue to push, with
partners, to secure Morad’s permanent release and return home,
which is long overdue. We will continue to support other British
nationals in Iran who have asked for our help. We will work
closely with our international partners to urge Iran to end its
practice of unfair detention. It remains, and always has been,
within Iran’s gift to release any British national who has been
unfairly detained. The agonies endured by Nazanin, Anoosheh,
Morad and their families must never happen again.
Our efforts to settle the IMS debt have also reached their
conclusion. After highly complex and exhaustive negotiations, the
more than 40-year-old debt between International Military
Services and the Ministry of Defence of Iran has now been
settled. As the House is aware, this debt relates to contracts
signed with the Iranian Ministry of Defence in the 1970s.
Following the revolution of 1979, those contracts could not be
fulfilled. I pushed officials to be as creative as possible in
finding a way to resolve the situation, and they have worked
round the clock to find a viable payment route. We have
considered and exhausted many options in the process. I can tell
the House that we have found a way to make the payment in full
compliance with UK and international sanctions and with global
counter-terrorism financing and anti-money laundering
regulations. A sum of £393.8 million has now been paid, which
will be available only for humanitarian purposes. The terms
remain confidential to both parties. We have long said that we
would find a solution to the IMS debt. Now, thanks to the
tireless work of our officials, we have found a way to do so.
The repayment of the debt, in parallel with the release of our
nationals, reflects steps taken by both the UK and Iran to
resolve issues of serious disagreement between our two countries.
We will continue to stand up for our interests, for the freedom
and security of our nationals wherever they are, and for an end
to arbitrary detention. But for now, to Nazanin and Anoosheh, I
am pleased that in just a few hours’ time we will be able to say:
welcome home. I commend this statement to the House.
3.36pm
(Tottenham) (Lab)
I thank the Foreign Secretary for giving me advance sight of the
statement. For too long, the Iranian Government have been
depriving British nationals of their liberty to use them as
political bargaining chips. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been
detained in Iran for almost six years. Anoosheh Ashoori has faced
the same fate for almost five years. The suffering they have
endured during those years is unimaginable. The moments of
laughter, joy and hope that they and their families have lost are
irretrievable The Iranian Government are entirely to blame for
these acts of cruelty. The whole House will be overjoyed that
their detention has now come to an end, and that Nazanin and
Anoosheh can return to British soil to be reunited with their
families and take the breath of freedom once again. We must pay
tribute to their tireless families, who have shown extraordinary
strength, resilience and courage in the face of an unimaginable
ordeal.
I also give credit to my hon. Friend the Member for Hampstead and
Kilburn () for all her efforts over so
many years, and to my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham East
() for continuing to raise these
issues. I give them credit for their tireless work in campaigning
to secure the freedom of their constituents. We join the
Government in thanking the Government of Oman for their help. I
also give credit to the tireless work of British officials, as
well as to the Foreign Secretary for her role in securing
justice. She has shown more skills in diplomacy than her bungling
boss, who appeared to do more damage than help while he held her
current post.
Serious lessons need to be learned from this appalling episode.
We need stronger international measures to combat the use of
arbitrary detention as a political tool and to end hostage
diplomacy. We also need a review of these cases. We need to
understand what could have been done by the British Government to
secure these releases sooner. I note that the Foreign Secretary
said that she had
“stepped up these efforts over the last six months.”
I give her credit for that and welcome it, but I want to ask her
what efforts were not taken by her predecessors that could have
been. A review must also consider whether comments made by
Ministers contributed to the extended detention. It is also good
news that Morad Tahbaz has been released on furlough. Can the
Foreign Secretary elaborate on the next steps to support his
case? We note that other British nationals are still in detention
and seeking help from the British Government. Can she update the
House on the latest number and on what efforts are in place to
help them?
We welcome the Government’s parallel announcement that the IMS
debt has been repaid. We have long called for the Government to
find a way to pay back that internationally recognised legitimate
debt. What guarantees have the Government been given that this
sum of money will be used only for humanitarian purposes? Today,
though, let us focus on the main point of this statement. The
whole House and the whole country can share in the triumph of
welcoming Nazanin and Anoosheh home.
There have been years of effort and some fantastic people in the
Foreign Office, including the leaders of the Foreign Office and
the Foreign Office team, have worked tirelessly. What has changed
in the past six months is that we have a new Government in Iran.
I was able, when I went to New York in September and met Minister
Amir-Abdollahian, to reset the relationship and be clear that we
were serious about resolving the outstanding issues that Iran
had, and the Iranians were clear that they were serious about
resolving the outstanding issues we had.
I pay tribute to the fantastic Foreign Office officials, who have
been tenacious in travelling to Tehran and getting this done in
what are very difficult circumstances. As the right hon.
Gentleman is aware, paying money to Iran is not easy with the
intensive sanctions regime in place, even though this is very
clearly a legitimate debt. I can assure him that we have
humanitarian guarantees. What I cannot do is go into the details,
because that is confidential between the parties, but I have had
this thoroughly checked out across Government to ensure that we
have those guarantees that the money will be used for
humanitarian purposes.
On the subject of Morad Tahbaz, who I spoke to at the end of last
year when he was in prison, we have secured his release on
furlough. He is now at home. That was an important point that we
pressed with the Iranian Government. I know from speaking to him
that the conditions in prison were abhorrent and appalling, so he
is now in better conditions, but of course we will continue to
get him home, as well as other detainees who do not want their
names released in public. The other point to make about Mr Tahbaz
is that he is a tri-national with the United States, so we need
to work with our US partners on this issue and we are talking to
him.
In the spirit of what the right hon. Gentleman said about
welcoming the detainees home, that should be our focus today.
They have been through an appalling ordeal; I could not imagine
what it would be like to be without my family or my mother for so
long. We must give the families the privacy they deserve, and
thank them for their tenacity through this appalling ordeal that
should never happen to anyone.
Mr Speaker
I call the Chair of the Select Committee, Tom Tugenhat.
(Tonbridge and Malling) (Con)
I am hugely grateful for the extraordinarily welcome news that my
right hon. Friend has brought to the House this afternoon. It is
the most wonderful moment for many of us who have been
campaigning. In particular, I pay huge tribute to not only the
two hon. Members for Hampstead and Kilburn () and for Lewisham East (), but our friend , who spent an awful lot of time campaigning for this as
well when she was in this House.
May I ask whether the Government have looked at some of the
implications of the last time a ransom payment was made to the
Iranian Government? That ransom payment was made by the US
Government a number of years ago. About six months after they
were paid, the Iranian Government took another six American dual
nationals hostage and merely started the whole process again.
Furthermore, sadly, the money paid was then spent on murdering
hundreds of thousands of Sunni Muslims in Syria. Can my right
hon. Friend assure us that that will not happen this time, that
British citizens will be carefully warned of the dangers they
face in visiting Iran, and that none of the payment will end up
in weapons and ammunition to kill Syrians?
First, it is important to note that these are two parallel issues
in our bilateral relationship, namely settling the IMS debt—a
legitimate debt that the UK Government were due to pay—and
settling the issue of the detainees. I am very clear that we need
to work with our international partners to end the practice of
arbitrary detention. In fact, we are joining a group with the
Canadians and others to do just that, so we have a strong
international response to countries using the practice of
arbitrary detention to get their own way. I completely agree with
my hon. Friend that we must end the practice, but we need to do
so working with partners. That is a key point that we are
discussing as part of the G7 Foreign Ministers track.
Mr Speaker
I call the Scottish National party spokesperson, .
(Stirling) (SNP)
I thank the Foreign Secretary for sight of her statement.
Goodness, in a week when we could all be doing with a bit of good
news, I was very glad to read it. The SNP shares the happiness at
the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, Anoosheh Ashoori and
Morad Tahbaz. We also pay tribute to them, their friends and
their families for putting up with an intolerable situation. This
has been a long time coming, and there are lessons to learn, but
the Foreign Secretary, her Ministers and officials deserve their
moment on this. This has been a great achievement, and I am very
glad to see it happen.
We have the news that the historical debt will be paid as
humanitarian aid, and, as I proposed that in this place on 16
November 2021, I can hardly quibble that it has happened, and I
am glad of the assurances that it will go to humanitarian
purposes. I will take that on trust, which we are all entitled to
do. I have two questions. First, how many dual nationals are in
Iran in this situation? We are aware that there are some, but we
do not know how many specifically there are. What wider
assessment is there of other dual nationals in this position
elsewhere?
I echo the concerns of the Chair of the Foreign Affairs
Committee, the hon. Member for Tonbridge and Malling (), that there is a risk of moral hazard. I think we
are all agreed that this is historical debt that needed to be
repaid, but others could take other lessons. What assessment has
been made of the risk of moral hazard to British citizens going
to Iran, but also in other places of risk? Perhaps the Foreign
Office guidance needs to be updated in those situations. I would
be grateful for an update on that, too, but congratulations.
On the hon. Gentleman’s first point, I am afraid I cannot comment
on individual cases, even to the extent of talking about the
number of individual cases; I am afraid I cannot do that. He is
right that we need to work against arbitrary detention. The best
way to do that is as part of an international compact. That is
why we are addressing this issue at the G7, and that is why I
welcome the Canadians’ leadership on the issue. I have met my
Canadian counterpart on several occasions and talked about how we
move this forward to change the incentives. We need to
fundamentally change the incentives for Governments, so that
there is not an incentive to behave in this way.
(South West Surrey) (Con)
I salute the leadership of the Foreign Secretary on this issue.
As I know from my own experience, this is a fearsomely difficult
diplomatic challenge, and it would not have been solved without
sustained, personal interest right from the top, and she deserves
great credit for that. Most of all, I commend the efforts of
Richard Ratcliffe, Nazanin’s husband. His quiet courage, his
humility and his total determination never wavered throughout six
years of hell, and he really was the bravest person I met during
my time as Foreign Secretary. He is an inspiration to many
people. Is the Foreign Secretary inspired by the united western
response to the crisis in Ukraine, and is there something we can
learn from that to unite as democratic countries to stamp out the
vile practice of hostage taking?
My right hon. Friend is absolutely right about Richard Ratcliffe
and the families of the detainees, and the courage they have
shown in the face of appalling adversity, as well as those
detained themselves, who have gone through incredible hardship,
difficulty and just not knowing what the future would look
like.
I pay tribute to the work that my right hon. Friend did when he
was Foreign Secretary and the leadership he has shown on this
issue in his current role. He is completely right, and that is
why we are working with allies, such as the Canadians, on unfair
detention, because we need to take a common stance. The way that
we have worked together on Ukraine—on sanctions and on supplying
defensive aid—shows that we can do this in other areas, standing
up for freedom, democracy and the rules-based international
order, and changing the fundamental incentives that such regimes
have in terms of the way they behave.
(Lewisham East) (Lab)
This is really a day of celebration for Anoosheh’s family. They
will be so relieved when the plane hits the ground and Nazanin
and Anoosheh are walking again on British soil. As Anoosheh’s
Member of Parliament, I am thrilled beyond belief at his release,
and for Nazanin. I am incredibly happy for Anoosheh’s wife,
Sherry, and his children, Elika and Aryan, as well as their
families and friends. I spoke to Sherry today—indeed, I spoke to
her yesterday as well—and she told me that she has had several
years of heartache and separation, all of which could have been
avoided.
It is right that the issue of the long-standing debt of
approximately £400 million was addressed and returned by the
British Government to secure the freedom of our British citizens.
I salute and thank the Foreign Secretary for making the IMS debt
her priority. I also say, however, that it has been more than
1,650 days since Anoosheh was detained—days of his life that
cannot be returned to him. I therefore ask her why it has taken
the Government so long to secure Nazanin and Anoosheh’s
release.
I pay tribute to the hon. Lady for her tireless campaigning on
the issue. I share her sense of anxiety. There were some very
anxious moments this afternoon as we waited for wheels up in
Tehran. As the plane departed, we knew that, finally, our
detainees—Nazanin and Anoosheh—would be returning to the United
Kingdom. We are very much looking forward to welcoming them later
today. I, too, have spoken to the family and to Sherry. I know
how hard it has been for the families and the courage that they
have shown over these very difficult years.
What I will say about the process of securing the release of our
detainees is that Foreign Secretaries, the Prime Minister and
Foreign Office officials have worked tirelessly on it. There is a
very dedicated team at the Foreign Office. Last summer, we saw a
new Government in place in Iran, which gave us an opportunity to
start afresh on some of the issues and to look at new ways we
could do things in terms of paying the IMS debt, and we have been
able to deliver on that.
We have to remember, however, that fundamentally it was the
Iranian Government who put those people in detention. Ultimately,
what we need to do, as many hon. Members on both sides of the
House have said, is change the incentives for Governments so that
taking detainees unfairly is not seen as a proposition in the
modern world. I pay tribute to Foreign Office officials who have
worked tirelessly for years to make it happen.
(Kensington) (Con)
The daughter of Morad Tahbaz is my constituent. I pay tribute to
the Foreign Secretary and her team for all their efforts. Can she
assure me that she and her team will continue to work with the US
to ensure that he may leave Iran? Can she tell me what being on
furlough from prison practically entails?
The Tahbaz family and I have spoken today. It is a very difficult
situation. Morad Tahbaz is of course a tri-national—US, UK and
Iranian—and the Iranian Government treat him as being a US
national as well as a UK national. We pushed very hard to get
Morad out of prison. I spoke to him when he was in prison and he
was in appalling conditions. I am pleased to say that I have been
in touch today and he is now back at his house—with security in
place—with his family in Tehran. We will continue to work to get
him back home. We will be working with our allies, including the
United States, to make that happen. I am pleased, however, that
we have been able to secure his release from prison and his
return home in Tehran.
(Oxford West and Abingdon)
(LD)
I think we have all been quite emotional today. Tears of joy
will, I hope, be cried this evening. To think that Richard
Ratcliffe will be able to welcome Nazanin and that she might even
put Gabriella to bed or take her to school tomorrow for the first
time—what a thought.
We were told for a long time that the £400 million that has been
paid as a legitimate debt was not linked. I am glad that it has
been paid and that, in any way, it has led to the detainees’
release. That is not an insignificant sum in terms of official
development assistance spend, so can the Foreign Secretary assure
me that it will not count towards our ODA spend and that it comes
on top of other planned spending?
I can assure the hon. Lady that this comes from the Ministry of
Defence. It had a long-standing debt that it has paid, in
accordance with the international rules, including ensuring that
this money is going to be spent on humanitarian purposes. I am
pleased that Richard and Gabriella, who are in the Gallery today,
will be able to see Nazanin again this evening. I pay tribute to
Richard and Gabriella for their fortitude in such appalling
circumstances.
Hon. Members
Hear, hear!
(Gloucester) (Con)
At a time when we are every day reminded of the amazing
resilience of a country, this is a great moment to be reminded of
the resilience of individuals and families—in particular the
families of the detainees who are coming back this evening. What
an amazing achievement by everybody involved! It would be fair
also to thank the new Iranian Government for their role in this
as well.
Will my right hon. Friend confirm whether there are any lessons
that we need to learn about dual nationals and advice given to
them in travelling, not just to Iran but to other countries? Will
she confirm whether the agreement that she has reached with her
Iranian counterpart provides some form of pathway for other
British detainees in Iran eventually to return, too?
Of course we will look, as we always do, to make sure that our
travel advice is as good as possible. When I met my Iranian
counterpart in September, I was clear that there were key
bilateral issues that we needed to resolve, namely the detainee
issue and also the IMS issue. Of course, we do not agree with
Iran on many topics and we are not naive about the situation in
Iran, but we need to absolutely make sure that we are protecting
our British nationals. That is my top priority and that is what I
will continue to work to do.
(Hampstead and Kilburn)
(Lab)
After six years, I can mention Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in the
Chamber and not beg for her release. After eight urgent questions
and countless debates, it is a pleasure to finally be standing
here and talking about her. This would not have happened without
the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Europe and North
America, the right hon. Member for Braintree (). Can I say thank you from
the bottom of my heart? Thank you also to all the FCO officials,
who I know worked tirelessly to make this happen.
I also want to thank Redress, Gibson Dunn, change.org, Amnesty
International and the other organisations and individuals who
worked so hard to release Nazanin. On behalf of Richard
Ratcliffe, who texted me just before I stood up, I thank all the
MPs across the Chamber because, whichever side of the House they
are on, everyone worked hard to make sure that Nazanin was
released. Whichever party and whichever constituency you
represent, thank you—and thank you from Richard Ratcliffe as
well. That includes all the MPs who visited Richard when he was
on both his hunger strikes. I thank the community—especially in
west Hampstead, where Nazanin’s home is—for always coming and
supporting us.
Most importantly, I want to pay tribute to my constituent,
Richard Ratcliffe, for his relentless campaigning. I also think
that he has really set the bar high for all husbands. I say to
Nazanin: welcome home, after six long years! I say to Gabriella
that, this time, Mummy really is coming home.
I finish by asking the Foreign Secretary—I say once again how
very grateful I am to her—whether she can update us a bit more on
why Morad Tahbaz was not allowed to leave Iran. He actually lived
in my constituency as well when he was in the UK, so I would like
to hear an update on that.
I thank the hon. Lady for her tireless campaigning, and also for
her patience in the last 24 hours. She and I have had a number of
conversations, and it was only when we heard that the wheels were
up in Tehran that we really knew it was happening. I was just
extremely concerned to make sure that Nazanin and Anoosheh had
really been able to leave Iran, and I am so delighted that we are
going to be able to welcome them home today and that the families
are going to be able to welcome them home today.
The hon. Lady is absolutely right about Richard and Gabriella,
and about the other families who have campaigned so tirelessly,
and it has been an incredibly difficult time. She is also right
to pay tribute to my right hon. Friend the Minister for Europe—he
is now the Minister for the middle east, Europe and Russia,
because he is so talented and gets so much done—who has held
countless meetings to make sure this happens, and it has not been
an easy process.
On the subject of Morad Tahbaz, the real issue is that he is a
tri-national, and that is seen in Iranian eyes as meaning that
the US is also involved. We are working very closely with the US,
and we have secured his release from prison. Of course, we want
to see him come home, and we will continue to work to achieve
that with our US partners.
Sir (South Swindon) (Con)
I congratulate my right hon. Friend, all the team at the Foreign
Office and the legal team who I know will have worked extremely
hard, and I thank everybody, including hon. Members, for their
tireless work. Can my right hon. Friend assure me that, in our
adherence to the international rules-based system by paying the
debt that it was adjudged we owed to Iran, we shall not waver in
our belief that the arbitrary detention of nationals of whatever
country is wrong and that we must redouble our efforts if we are
to defend effectively the international rules-based system that
she and I know is under unprecedented attack?
My right hon. and learned Friend is right that arbitrary
detention is completely wrong. We are stepping up our efforts,
together with our G7 colleagues, to work more closely together to
challenge that type of behaviour internationally. Over the
Ukraine crisis and the abhorrent invasion of Ukraine by Russia,
we have seen the international community step up and democratic
nations work together. We are determined to address all of those
issues, including the issue of arbitrary detention.
Mr Speaker
I now call the person who mentioned this every Thursday, .
(Walsall South) (Lab)
Thank you, Mr Speaker. Can I start by thanking the Foreign
Secretary for all her work and her Minister, who answered all the
urgent questions, as well as all the officials at the FCDO
throughout the six years? I know my hon. Friends the Members for
Hampstead and Kilburn () and for Lewisham East () are delighted to get their
constituents back, but there will be none more delighted than the
Ratcliffe family—we all met the wider Ratcliffe family during
Richard’s hunger strike—and Anoosheh’s family. The birth
certificate of Morad Tahbaz, which I have seen, shows that he was
born in Hammersmith, so I hope we can make extra efforts for him,
but I would also like to ask the Foreign Secretary if she will
ensure that Mehran Raoof, even though he may not have asked for
help, is not forgotten. Mr Speaker, this was House business, and
the House is delighted that Nazanin and Anoosheh are back in the
loving arms of their families.
I thank the right hon. Lady, and I can assure her that every
single British national who is unfairly detained overseas is on
our minds, and we are working to see them released.
(South Ribble)
(Con)
The Foreign Secretary has rightly received many plaudits for the
work that she and her team have done. The people of South Ribble
have been writing to me since I was first elected in 2019 urging
her and her team to strain every sinew in difficult
circumstances. It is not often that they can all go home from
work putting such a smile on that little girl’s face. Will the
Foreign Secretary join me in saying thank you from South Ribble
for their efforts?
This has been a team effort, and as we have said, we have seen
incredible fortitude and stoicism from the families and those
detained in Iran themselves, and all of our constituents have of
course been so deeply concerned about the terrible plight that
Nazanin and her family have faced.
(East Antrim) (DUP)
I add my congratulations to the Foreign Secretary for her
tenacity and determination in resolving these issues. I hope she
shows the same tenacity and determination in her negotiations to
resolve the issues affecting Northern Ireland as well. I did not
know the families, but I met Nazanin’s husband once outside the
Foreign Office when he was conducting his hunger strike. He told
me of the ups and downs, with hopes being raised and dashed
continually. I am sure that the work done by the Foreign
Secretary and her officials has given great help to those
families who now have their loved ones released and hope to those
still looking forward to having their family members released. I
know that she had to link the payment of money to the release of
these hostages, but has she any concerns that linking those two
things together might send out the wrong signal to criminal
regimes across the world who have no hesitation in using humans
in this way?
On the right hon. Gentleman’s first point, I assure him that I
will not give up until I have fixed the Northern Ireland
protocol. These long-standing issues with Iran have been treated
in parallel. I have been clear, and the Government have been
clear, that this is legitimate debt that the UK Government should
pay. That is right, and that is what we have done. We found a way
of doing that despite the various sanctions regimes in place, and
we have made sure that it is spent on humanitarian support.
(Stafford) (Con)
It is excellent news that three British nationals have been
released from Iranian prisons today. I met Richard Ratcliffe,
Nazanin’s husband, several years ago at a reception hosted by
you, Mr Speaker, in this place to hear directly of her plight and
detention, so I am delighted that she has finally been released
and is on her way home. I congratulate my right hon. Friend on
all her work. Will she confirm that her Department will continue
to support other British nationals in Iran who have asked for our
help?
We will continue to support British nationals in Iran. All the
families have been provided with consular support and support
from our officials, and I am proud of the support that they have
offered. Of course, we will continue to work to ensure that those
unfairly detained can return home.
(Islington North) (Ind)
This is brilliant, excellent news. I thank the Foreign Secretary
for her statement and congratulate the hon. Members for Lewisham
East () and for Hampstead and Kilburn
() on the work that they put in.
Can she give us any indication of when she expects Morad Tahbaz
to be released? Being on furlough is not a satisfactory
situation, and he obviously has the right to return to this
country, as do others.
The Foreign Secretary mentioned that she cannot name all the dual
nationals or British nationals being held. I understand that, but
one in particular—Mehran Raoof, a labour rights activist—has been
publicly named by Amnesty International and by Redress, and he is
apparently on a long-term prison sentence. What efforts are being
made to secure his release? In the changed relationship that we
now have with Iran—that is welcome—will there be a robust human
rights dialogue? Detention of foreign nationals is appalling, but
many other human rights issues deserve to be and must be raised
with Iran. I hope that this will be the start of a serious
dialogue, which hopefully will improve the human rights of
everybody.
On the individual whom the right hon. Gentleman named, I must
respect the individual’s request of whether their case should be
raised in public. That is why we mention publicly only those
individuals who have asked to be named. Of course, we continue to
supply support to all British nationals who have been unfairly
detained. As I said, there are many issues over which we do not
have agreement with Iran, but I will continue to talk to the
Iranian Foreign Minister and work with him to ensure that we do
resolve issues between us that pertain to the British national
interest.
(South West Wiltshire)
(Con)
This news is like sunshine on a rainy day. Congratulations to all
involved. Does the Foreign Secretary agree with me that
particular tribute needs to be paid to Sayyid Badr and the Omani
Government, who are establishing themselves as interlocuters and
mediators par excellence in the region? Will she say what
assurances she has got that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
will simply not replace Nazanin, Anoosheh and Morad with other
dual nationals? Will she reiterate her warnings to dual nationals
who may fall within the Iranian jurisdiction that they should
tread very carefully indeed?
Minister Badr and the Omani Government have been incredibly
helpful in assisting us with this issue and I want to pay
tribute. They flew the detainees out to Muscat. I have been in
regular touch with Minister Badr since I first met him in
December last year and they have been instrumental in making this
happen. They are true friends of the United Kingdom. My right
hon. Friend is right in what he says about dual nationals, but
fundamentally we need to change the incentives on the system so
people can travel freely without fear of unfair detainment.
(Leeds Central) (Lab)
May I join other Members in thanking the Foreign Secretary, her
officials, my two hon. Friends the Members for Lewisham East
() and for Hampstead and Kilburn
(), and everyone who has brought
this wonderful day to pass, made all the sweeter by the smiles we
see looking down on us from the Gallery? The Foreign Secretary
said that the debt was paid in parallel, but we all know that for
the Government of Iran it was always sequential. Given what she
said about the work she is doing with other G7 members, including
Canada, to try to deal with this, what practical steps is she
hoping to secure through that to ensure that in future it is
much, much more difficult for Governments to engage in
hostage-taking for political purposes?
The right hon. Gentleman is right that we need to change the
practice of countries detaining other countries’ nationals
unfairly. That is precisely what we are working on with our
Canadian counterparts and others, but we need to act in concert
to change the system and change the reactions we give overall. I
cannot say more at this stage, but I hope to be able to say more
soon.
(Kenilworth and Southam)
(Con)
This is a day of great joy and relief, not just for those flying
home today but for their families, some of whom it is wonderful
to be joined by today, and their wider families, including
members of the Zaghari-Ratcliffe family who live in my
constituency. I pay huge tribute to all involved, including, of
course, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and the
Opposition Members who have done such a tremendous job on behalf
of their constituents. There will be many lessons wrongly drawn
from this sad episode. Can I suggest to my right hon. Friend that
there is one lesson that could be correctly drawn? The fact that
these people were imprisoned in Iran is the fault of the Iranian
regime. The difficulties that the UK Government have faced
repaying the IMS loan are also the fault of the Iranian regime,
because they largely relate to sanctions imposed upon the Iranian
regime. Is this a lesson of wider application in the world today
that if you find yourself subject to international sanctions, you
will find that there are long and expensive consequences?
My right hon. and learned Friend makes a very effective point
about sanctions. What we are seeing today in Russia—the fact that
the Government of Russia are struggling to finance their
appalling war in Ukraine, the fact that people are struggling to
secure the goods and services that they have become used to, and
that the country is being returned to something akin to the
Soviet era—shows that sanctions do work and are effective.
(Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch
and Strathspey) (SNP)
The joy and relief will be felt by all our constituents who have
been fully behind Richard Ratcliffe and the families getting
their loved ones home. Given that there has been a solution in
plain sight which the Foreign Secretary has been able to use
today, does she agree that it should never again take two hunger
strikes, the terms of three Prime Ministers, five Foreign
Secretaries and five Ministers for the middle east to get a
solution for people in this situation in future?
This is an issue that the Foreign Office has been working on
tirelessly for many years. Given that there was a new Government
in Tehran last summer, there was an opportunity to reset the
relationship and start working on the issues afresh. We took that
opportunity, but we were able to do so only because of the
tireless work of Foreign Office officials. As my right hon. and
learned Friend the Member for Kenilworth and Southam () pointed out, it was not easy
to pay the IMS debt in the current scenario. We found a way to do
it, and I am very pleased that we have done so.
(North Dorset) (Con)
The plaudits that my right hon. Friend is receiving today are
richly deserved, and she and the other Ministers and officials
deserve the warm applause of the House. She says that she cannot
go into all the details of the humanitarian aid, but can she
assure us that it will be humanitarian aid that Iran will spend
in-country? The definition of humanitarian aid will change; we
know that Mr Putin is calling for allies in the middle east to
help him in his “humanitarian” work in Ukraine, and we need to
make very certain that these sums are not deployed in that
arena.
While I have my right hon. Friend’s attention, as she has a magic
wand to solve very long-standing problems, will she now turn her
attention to Libya, and to redress for the victims of IRA
terrorism in Libyan-sponsored atrocities?
I can assure my hon. Friend that the definition of humanitarian
aid in the agreement is certainly not the definition of
humanitarian aid to which Vladimir Putin would subscribe.
(Lewisham West and Penge)
(Lab)
I know the joy that my constituents in Lewisham West and Penge
will be feeling at today’s news. I thank the Foreign Secretary
for her work.
I had the privilege of meeting Richard Ratcliffe when he was on
hunger strike last winter. His dignity, courage and resolve were
humbling, but I recall his frustration over delay after delay
after delay. A mother and their child should never be separated
for all these years. The Foreign Secretary must ensure that
lessons are learned so that, as she says, it never happens again.
I would be grateful for her comments as to how she intends that
to happen.
We are all very pleased that the families are able to be
reunited. In dealing with the issue, on which I have been working
since I became Foreign Secretary in September, there are a lot of
complexities. There are difficulties in working, given the
sanctions regime and given the process that needs to be gone
through. Hours and hours have been put into the meetings, the
phone calls and getting this right. Right up until the last
minute, which came at 1 o’clock this afternoon, it has been touch
and go. There is an incredible amount of complexity lying
underneath what we have to do and what our counterpart
Governments have to do to effect these types of change, but I am
very clear that we have some excellent officials who have really
done the business on the ground in Tehran.
(Chingford and Woodford
Green) (Con)
I congratulate my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and my
right hon. Friend the Minister for Europe and North America on
their work in delivering this in short order after such a long
period of frustration, as well as those colleagues who have been
campaigning for it. Richard Ratcliffe must feel unalloyed joy
today that the love that he has shown to his wife has allowed him
to campaign through adversity to deliver this day. I therefore
pay tribute to him completely.
As people are dying in Ukraine to fight for freedom, we are
learning a lesson that surely has application here: when states
behave beyond the rule of law, we need to act swiftly and
immediately isolate them with sanctions. If the unlawful taking
of prisoners in a case like this ever happens again, the west
must unite—the whole world must unite—in immediately bringing
sanctions against those countries such that the pain they feel
outweighs any gain they think they may receive.
My right hon. Friend is entirely correct. That is why it is so
important that the west and the wider free world have stepped up
in the Ukraine crisis. For too many years we did not do enough,
and blind eyes were turned to some egregious practices. For that
reason, as well as working together to impose sanctions on Russia
for its appalling actions in Ukraine, we are working together on
the issue of unfair detention to ensure that we protect the
rules-based system and defend freedom and democracy around the
world.
(Hammersmith) (Lab)
This is very good news, but it is not the end of the matter. Even
if the Foreign Secretary will not discuss individual cases, she
will be aware that a number of UK citizens and dual nationals are
still being held in Iran, some of whom, for good reasons, will
not be as well known as Nazanin. Will she meet the relevant
Members of Parliament and the families whose relatives are still
detained in Iran, and what leverage does she think she will have
now that the debt has been paid?
Of course I will continue to meet the families of detained
individuals, and I will continue to work to get those people
released from unfair detention.
(Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale
and Tweeddale) (Con)
The Foreign Secretary is to be commended for achieving this
joyous outcome, but will she join me in commending the thousands
of ordinary people across the United Kingdom who do not know
Nazanin or Richard or Anoosheh personally but have stood firmly
with them throughout all these years, and have kept us MPs honest
by pursuing us relentlessly, urging us to raise the issue in
Parliament and engage with Richard in his hunger strikes and
other efforts? Does that not show that it is always worthwhile
for members of the public to engage with an issue, however
complex that issue may be?
This issue has touched the hearts of the British public, as we
all know from what we have received in our postbags. Who could
fail to be moved by the courage and tenacity shown by the
families, but also by the suffering that has been undergone by
those who have been unfairly detained and those who have been
separated from them for so many years? It is clear from the
offers of homes for Ukrainian refugees that the British public
are big-hearted, and want to see our citizens thrive and to see
these families reunited.
(City of Chester)
(Lab)
May I add my congratulations and thanks to the Foreign Secretary
and her team, and in particular to my hon. Friends for their
tireless campaign and to Mr Ratcliffe, whom I have met on several
occasions in difficult circumstances?
We know that Iran is a difficult and multi-layered country with
which to have dealings. Moving beyond today’s announcements, may
I ask whether there is any hope that it might progress towards a
more accommodating arrangement with the rest of the world, and
that we might be able perhaps not to normalise but slightly to
improve relations in the long run?
In resolving the issue of the IMS debt and resolving the issue of
these particular unfairly detained people, we have dealt with two
of the major issues facing the UK and Iran. Of course we have
very large concerns about the possibility of Iran’s acquiring a
nuclear weapon, and we are currently working with partners to
prevent that from happening, because we know where it can lead
when a nuclear state poses a danger to the world. That is our
focus: working with partners, and, of course, engaging directly
with the Iranian Government, as I have done.
(Meon Valley) (Con)
May I, too, thank the Foreign Secretary, and also her
predecessors, who have been badgered for many years, and
particularly for the last six? I am so pleased that she made this
one of her priorities. May I also pay tribute to the families of
Anoosheh and Nazanin, especially Richard Ratcliffe and the
family, whom I met outside the Foreign, Commonwealth and
Development Office during the hunger strike?
Will my right hon. Friend join me in thanking the British
negotiating team in Tehran, who have been working so hard to get
the three British citizens released, and may I ask whether she
thinks that this is the beginning of a new relationship with Iran
for the long term?
My hon. Friend is right to pay tribute to the family, to Richard
Ratcliffe for all his campaigning work and to our negotiating
team, who have worked day in, day out, including in Tehran and
Muscat, to get this done—that has been really important.
The future of Iran is a choice for the Iranian Government. We do
not want to see Iran acquire a nuclear weapon; we want to see a
world in which Iran plays a more positive role. Of course, we
will work to encourage a more positive trajectory.
(Orkney and Shetland)
(LD)
I thank the Foreign Secretary for her welcome words on arbitrary
detention, which go to the heart of it. Of course, arbitrary
detention is not the sole preserve of Iran. It is also a common
practice in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where it is reported
that there were a further three executions today while the Prime
Minister was in the country. Can the Foreign Secretary give me
some assurance that we will pursue the issue of arbitrary
detention and other human rights abuses with equal vigour
wherever we find them?
We approach our relations with all countries without fear or
favour. We are prepared to be honest with countries about human
rights practices, which is exactly what the Prime Minister has
been doing on his visit. It is important that we engage with
Saudi Arabia. We have a major issue, as everyone in this House
knows, with a very aggressive Russia threatening European and,
indeed, global security, and we need to work with other countries
to find alternative sources of oil and gas. It is important that
we deal with everybody.
(Aylesbury) (Con)
Today is a day of celebration, albeit tempered by the
recollection of the suffering endured by Nazanin, Anoosheh, Morad
and their families over a long period. Some people may be
concerned about the parallel payment of almost £400 million, so
will my right hon. Friend reassure the House that this money was
legitimately owed to Iran and that nobody should be under any
misapprehension that this Government would pay ransoms for people
who are illegally detained anywhere in the world?
My hon. Friend is right. We have always been clear that this is
legitimately owed money that the UK should pay. Due to the
complexities, this has been a difficult issue. We have been
challenging in looking at ways to pay the money, ensuring of
course that it is spent on humanitarian purposes—that has been
critical. We have found a solution to resolve that issue.
(Caerphilly) (Lab)
Like other hon. Members, I am truly delighted at the release of
Anoosheh and Nazanin. I pay tribute to Richard, who has been a
tower of strength in this whole unfortunate saga. I congratulate
the Foreign Secretary on her role, and I congratulate her
creative civil servants who found a way to repay this historical
loan.
As we often say, where there is a will there is a way. That has
certainly proved to be the case, but may I ask about the role of
the Government of Oman? I understand from the Foreign Secretary
that the Government of Oman played a very positive role, but has
the role been such that the money was transferred to Iran via
Oman’s central bank?
Our Omani friends have been extremely helpful in working with us
to help transport the detainees between Tehran and the United
Kingdom, and in working with us on some of the practical
arrangements. We have, of course, also had direct contact with
the Iranian Government, but the partnership with Oman has been
truly successful in helping this to happen.
(Blackpool South) (Con)
I congratulate the Foreign Secretary on her work to secure the
safe release and return of Nazanin. Iran’s malign influence
remains a threat to British interests in the middle east and to
the interests of our allies, most notably Israel. What steps are
the Government taking to ensure that any new agreement on Iran’s
nuclear weapons programme prevents it from acquiring nuclear
weapons?
It is correct that we have very strong concerns about Iran’s
ability to acquire a nuclear weapon. That is why we have been
working so closely with our allies, through the joint
comprehensive plan of action, to get a new deal to stop that
acquisition. That is vital. We want Iran to take a different
path—a better path. That comes through a combination of being
absolutely clear what the penalties are—the sanctions—and having
a positive choice that Iran can make about its future.
(Rhondda) (Lab)
I warmly commend the Foreign Secretary and all her team, both
ministerial and her officials, on this result. Apricity means the
feeling of the sun on one’s face in winter, and I am sure that
for Gabriella and for Richard today is a day of apricity, with
sun on their faces in a time of winter. However, authoritarian
regimes such as those of Iran and Russia do two things very
similarly; arbitrary detention, which the Foreign Secretary has
already spoken about; and pumping their propaganda around the
world, through state-funded broadcasters. In Iran’s case, that is
Press TV—thank goodness it has not got a licence here any longer.
Anyone who has taken money from Press TV should be giving it
back. Should exactly the same not apply to Russia Today? Is it
not time RT was closed down, so that we stopped hearing the
propaganda from Russia about Ukraine? Shouldn’t everyone who has
taken money from RT give it back or give it to Ukrainian refugee
support?
The hon. Gentleman is right about state-funded propaganda and the
fact that we do not see a free media in many parts of the world.
In some cases, social media is breaking that up; we have seen
some of that in Russia, although it is now being cracked down
upon. That is one reason why the Government have established the
information unit: to help give the Russian people the truth about
what is happening in their own country. I know that my right hon.
Friend the Culture Secretary is looking at precisely the issue he
talks about and I am sure she will be listening carefully to his
question today.
(Newport West) (Lab)
This is the most joyous of days for this House and the country,
and for a family who have missed Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a
wife, a mum, a daughter and a sister-in-law. In Newport West,
this case is personal, because Richard Ratcliffe’s sister,
Rebecca Jones, is a constituent of mine, and I have watched in
awe as she fought to get Nazanin home, alongside the rest of the
family. I say to the Minister that for all the joy today, a case
like this must never happen again. So will she ensure that
lessons are learned so that no other family has to go through
such a dreadful separation from a loved one in the future?
I congratulate the hon. Lady’s constituent on the work she has
done to campaign for Nazanin’s release. The hon. Lady is right:
we cannot let this happen again. This needs to be about what we
do as the United Kingdom and how we work with our international
allies to make sure that there are not incentives in place for
these regimes to carry out arbitrary detention.
(West
Dunbartonshire) (SNP)
It is right and proper that the House congratulates the Foreign
Secretary and the ministerial team on delivering on real
diplomatic action—it is great to see. We congratulate the hon.
Members for Hampstead and Kilburn () and for Lewisham East () on a job well done as
parliamentary representatives; it is a great honour to sit in any
Parliament and that is the job of an MP. We also congratulate the
families, who are watching. I was interested to hear the Foreign
Secretary talk about arbitrary detention and how we can work with
other countries to ensure that not only dual nationals or tri
nationals, but full UK nationals are not arbitrarily detained, no
matter our friendships with countries. Further to the point
raised, I believe, by the hon. Member for Hammersmith (), who is no longer in their
place, the Foreign Secretary said that they would be meeting
families who are detained. In that spirit of collaboration and
working together, will the Foreign Secretary consider meeting me
and the family of Jagtar Singh Johal to understand the issue of
arbitrary detention for other states? It would be a most welcome
deliberation for the future.
As I said, I have raised this specific case, but I would be happy
to meet the hon. Gentleman to discuss it further.
(Wythenshawe and Sale East)
(Lab)
The American academic Margaret Mead famously said:
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens
can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever
has.”
So well done to the Foreign Secretary, her Ministers and her
Department, and to my hon. Friends the Members for Lewisham East
() and for Hampstead and Kilburn
(), whose work on this has been
indefatigable. I do not want to strike a discordant note, but in
relation to what the shadow Foreign Secretary, the Chair of the
Foreign Affairs Committee, my right hon. Friend the Member for
Leeds Central () and the right hon. Member for
East Antrim () have said about this deal, I
think all of us in Parliament would be happier if there had been
some briefing and scrutiny, even on Privy Council terms.
I hear what the hon. Gentleman says. We do have an arrangement,
and it was part of the very careful negotiations that have taken
place over the past six months that this deal would be kept
confidential. We have the humanitarian assurances on the IMF
front and I will see what I can do within the bounds of that.
However, the United Kingdom is a country that keeps its word and
we have given our word to keep this confidential.
(Rutherglen and Hamilton
West) (Ind)
This is a good day. The release of Nazanin and Anoosheh is
extremely welcome news, and I thank the Foreign Secretary and her
officials. I pay tribute to the families for their bravery,
courage and resilience. I did not want to have to see Richard go
on a third hunger strike. Given the length of time they were
detained, and the fact that other dual nationals continue to be
detained in Iran, how will the Foreign Secretary ensure that the
Government learn lessons from these cases, including in relation
to the provision of consular services for UK nationals and their
families more generally?
We have seen some very good consular services in these and other
cases. The lesson to be learned is the broader lesson about
arbitrary detention and how we work with our allies and partners
to stop it. I will update the House on the progress of the
arbitrary detention work that we are undertaking with the
Canadians. We first discussed this back in November at the NATO
Foreign Ministers summit, we discussed it again at the G7
meeting, and we are making some real progress, so I would be
happy to have further discussions in due course.
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