The lawyers requested a meeting with the defence secretary, Ben Wallace, and his advisers at the “earliest convenience” to discuss the approach the government was taking on the issue of debt owed to Iran. In a seven-page letter to 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. 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. The Ministry of Defence said: “The defence secretary’s position on this matter has not changed. This includes through the prime minister, the foreign secretary and the British ambassador in Tehran.”

Source: The Guardian August 24, 2020 19:01 UTC