Boris Johnson in Iran to discuss jailed Briton’s release

Tehran: British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson arrived in Iran on Saturday to address the case of a British-Iranian citizen detained in Tehran since 2016.

Johnson was set to discuss the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was arrested while visiting her three-year-old daughter in Iran.

He is scheduled to meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as well as a number of officials, including Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, according to Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe was charged with attempting to overthrow the Iranian government, a charge she has denied.

However, her case worsened last month when Johnson told the British Parliament that Zaghari-Ratcliffe was in Iran to give journalism classes.

Johnson’s statement, for which he later apologized, has since been used by the Iranian authorities to back their accusations against Zaghari-Ratcliffe, Efe news reported.

While in Iran, the British Foreign Secretary will also discuss issues of mutual concern with Tehran regarding the Middle East and the progress of Iran’s nuclear agreement.

—IANS