Zaghari-Ratcliffe: UK 'starting to look weak' over failure to protect citizens, says Hunt
Zaghari-Ratcliffe: UK ‘starting to look weak’ over failure to protect citizens, says Hunt
The former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt has said the UK has been made to look weak by failing to do more to protect British Iranian dual nationals held as hostages in Iran.
He is the first former member of the Conservative government to say the UK should find a way to pay the £400m debt the UK owes to Iran, accusing the government of dithering over the issue and not thinking imaginatively about a way of paying the debt that does not fall foul of sanctions.
The debt is formally treated as a separate issue, but is widely seen as a barrier to the release of the British-Iranian dual nationals Anoosheh Ashoori and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. A third British dual national has just been given an eight-year sentence but not yet jailed.
The former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt has said the UK has been made to look weak by failing to do more to protect British Iranian dual nationals held as hostages in Iran. He is the first former member of the Conservative government to say the UK should find a way to pay the £400m debt the UK owes to Iran, accusing the government of dithering over the issue and not thinking imaginatively about a way of paying the debt that does not fall foul of sanctions. The debt is formally treated as a separate issue, but is widely seen as a barrier to the release of the British-Iranian dual nationals Anoosheh Ashoori and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. A third British dual national has just been given an eight-year sentence but not yet jailed. The debt is formally treated as a separate issue, but is widely seen as a barrier to the release of the British-Iranian dual nationals Anoosheh Ashoori and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. A third British dual national has just been given an eight-year sentence but not yet jailed. protect citizens protect citizens protect citizens
