Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's 'deflated' husband is 'depressed' after UK Foreign Officer minister James Cleverly came away from Iran meeting with 'no hope'
The husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has described a meeting with a Foreign Office minister as 'depressing' after he was told there was 'no hope'.
Richard Ratcliffe's meeting with James Cleverly followed talks between UK Government officials and Iran's deputy foreign minister, Ali Bagheri Kani.
Mr Ratcliffe has previously questioned why the UK is refusing to pay a £400million debt it owes Tehran over tanks ordered before the 1979 revolution.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who is living under house-arrest in Tehran, was jailed for five years in 2016 on trumped-up charges of plotting to overthrow the Iranian government. On release, the 43-year-old charity worker was sentenced to another year's confinement in April on charges of 'spreading propaganda'. She strongly denies all the allegations.
But concerns have been raised that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe may now be sent back to Evin Prison, where political prisoners are usually tortured.
The meetings on Thursday came as Mr Ratcliffe endured his 19th day on hunger strike outside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in London.
Mr Ratcliffe began his demonstration last month after his wife lost her latest appeal in Iran, saying his family is 'caught in a dispute between two states'.
Speaking to reporters after his meeting with Mr Cleverly, Mr Ratcliffe said: 'If I'm honest, quite a depressing meeting. In terms of what we got told, well, not much.'
Iranian authorities have told her she was being incarcerated because of the UK's failure to pay its debt. In 2008 an international arbitration process ruled that Britain owes Iran the debt. But since then London has failed to repay it, with talks between the countries breaking down over the summer.
Mr Ratcliffe has previously questioned why the UK is refusing to pay a £400million debt it owes Tehran over tanks ordered before the 1979 revolution
Mr Ratcliffe sits outside the Foreign Office with his daughter Gabriella, in London on November 5
Mr Ratcliffe is also protesting the Government's handling of the case, and earlier blasted Prime Minister Boris Johnson for his 'cold decision' to allow the regime to keep 'arbitrarily' detaining British nationals
Mr Ratcliffe said Mr Cleverly wanted to emphasise that the meeting with the Iranian delegation had been 'cordial'
Non-profit organisation Redress said that, while Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe has not yet been summoned to prison, it is unclear whether she will be returned to prison or whether she will be 'left in limbo in Iran indefinitely'.
Ali Bagheri Kani, the Iranian deputy foreign minister, has come to the UK to meet Foreign Office officials to discuss a range of issues including the terms for the American return to the nuclear agreement abandoned by Donald Trump in 2018. Mr Ratcliffe will meet Foreign Office minister James Cleverly afterwards.
Mr Ratcliffe said Mr Cleverly wanted to emphasise that the meeting with the Iranian delegation had been 'cordial'.
He added: 'He'd raised Nazanin's case, the case of the others (detainees). He said that was a good step. Couldn't give a timeline on when things were going to move forwards.'
He told reporters he would continue his hunger strike outside the FCDO 'this evening', but said he was nearing the end of it 'as a strategy'.
Asked if he was going to carry on, Mr Ratcliffe said: 'For this evening, yes. I think there's a basic medical limit on how long you do a hunger strike for. I made a promise to Nazanin, I made a promise to my family, mum in particular, and to the family doctors, that I won't take it too far.
'But yeah, I don't think we walk away head held high feeling like it's all been sorted.'
Asked how he would break the news to his daughter, Gabriella, he said: 'Well, she probably doesn't think in terms of ministerial meetings, she's just asked when mummy's coming home. I'm a little bit more deflated today than I was this time yesterday.'
Mr Ratcliffe said his family is 'stuck in the same status quo' after the meeting. 'If I'm honest, it felt like, you know, perfectly nice, sincere, caring, everyone in the room was caring. But you know we're still stuck in the same status quo. We're still stuck in the same problems that led us to end up on hunger strike.
'I don't feel they've given a clear enough message to Iran that hostage-taking is wrong. I don't think there are any consequences to Iran at present for its continuing taking hostages of British citizens and using them.
'There was acknowledgement that clearly Nazanin is being held as leverage. No readiness to change course,' he said. Mr Ratcliffe said he was 'pretty irritable' in the meeting.
'I said to him (Mr Cleverly) at the end, "I come away with no hope. I felt that in your strategy it's all carrots to Iran. There's no stick". I can't see what's stopping them from continuing to play games with Nazanin.
'I think by being here, Nazanin is probably safe for a few weeks. But what's to stop them threatening to put her in prison again?'
Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of detained charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, continues with his hunger strike outside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in London
Jeremy Hunt, right, told Radio 4's Today programme that London should pay its debt to Tehran because the Iranians 'link' the money to the case of Mr Ratcliffe's wife. Left, Mr Ratcliffe outside the Foreign Office
Iranian deputy foreign minister Bagheri Kani arrives at the Foreign Office in Westminster
Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian dual national, has been in custody in Iran since 2016 after being accused of plotting to overthrow the government.
She was taking the couple's daughter, Gabriella, to see her family when she was arrested and sentenced to five years in jail, spending four years in Evin Prison and one under house arrest.
According to her family, she was told by Iranian authorities that she was being detained because of the UK's failure to pay an outstanding £400 million debt to Iran.
Mr Ratcliffe said the Government 'clammed up' and would not talk about the debt to Iran, adding: 'We asked about the debt and they wouldn't talk about it, I mean really clammed up.
'He (Mr Cleverly) said "our position is well known", and we said "well, look, frankly it's not well known, you haven't told us. I don't know if you've told anyone else but we've never heard it".'
Mr Ratcliffe told reporters: 'I had hoped there would have been some kind of a breakthrough and recognition in the meeting with Iran - maybe that will be happening away from us, but I don't have any hopes.'
Asked how he would give the news to his wife, he said: 'I will probably wait a few hours and calm down. I think probably my expectations were higher than hers.'
He added: 'I think things either move forwards or they move backwards. I don't feel they moved forwards today. It may be that there are parts of the conversation I am not privy to and there are parts the minister shares down the line.'
Jeremy Hunt also called on the UK to settle its £400million debt to Iran in order to secure Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's release. The former Foreign Secretary called Iran 'an absolutely despicable regime that sponsors terrorism across the Middle East', but said Tehran 'links' the money to her case and said practicalities, not principles, were holding back the repayment.
Mr Ratcliffe told Radio 4's Today programme: 'Our case is associated with the wider manoeuvrings. We are a bargaining chip about the debt, but it is part of a much wider piece about Iran ending sanctions and everyone trying to get the Iran nuclear deal revived. That has got many more moving parts and so is more complicated.'
He went on: 'The Prime Minister back in the day when he was Foreign Secretary promised he would pay it. He also, when we met him behind closed doors a couple of years back now, was certainly keen to try and get Nazanin home and said we'll leave no stone unturned.
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