Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

political analyst

https://www.itv.com/news/london/2020-11-02/nazanin-zaghari-ratcliffe-trial-adjourned-in-iran-mp-confirms

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has expressed her relief at not being sent back to prison after appearing before a court in Iran, according to her family.

The 42-year-old British-Iranian dual national was told she would be returned to Evin prison in Tehran following Monday’s hearing, but it was adjourned before she could put forward a defence, her husband Richard Ratcliffe said.

It has been claimed that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is being held to force the UK to settle on a debt dating back to the 1970s when the then-shah of Iran paid the UK £400 million for 1,500 Chieftain tanks.

After he was toppled in 1979, the UK refused to deliver the tanks to the new Islamic republic and kept the money, despite British courts accepting it should be repaid.

The Iranian authorities have denied any link between the debt and the imprisonment.

Nazanin's husband, Richard, said that she was told by an Iranian judge that her case was connected to the Chieftain tanks debt, despite denials from the British and Iranian governments.

An international arbitration (which is legally binding, of course) panel ruled that the UK should pay the debt. However, international sanctions pose a problem in that regard. Therefore, there is a conflict between two aspects of international law.

This article is from last year.

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/oct/07/nazanin-zaghari-ratcliffe-pressure-grows-on-uk-after-australians-release

The debt, or court award, originated from the non-delivery of contracts to the Iranian ministry of defence (Modsaf) of Chieftain tanks dating back to before 1979. The UK refused to complete the contract after the Shah was deposed, even though Iran had paid the money.

The UK has put nearly £500m into court as a surety for the award, but insists it cannot make the payment, let alone pay any interest accrued since 2008, on the grounds that Modsaf is a sanctioned entity.

The case affects UK bilateral relations, and despite denials by both the British and Iranian governments is seen as a possible barrier to the release of Zaghari-Ratcliffe. Her plight was not mentioned in Sunday’s hearing seeking permission to appeal.

Iran has two major routes left to unlock the cash put into court by the UK. The first is a request to the Treasury’s office of sanctions implementation (OFSI) to accept voluntarily that the £400m can be paid to the Central Bank of Iran and not to Modsaf. The Central Bank is not an EU-sanctioned entity.

In theory, the UK would be free after Brexit to change the list of bodies it sanctions, rather than simply duplicate EU decisions, but there is no sign that ministers will make any change to the Iranian sanctions regime.

The payment of the money would be the settlement of a debt, not a ransom. I don't believe that Trump would cut US defence co-operation with the UK just because the UK wants to secure the release of a UK citizen.

political analyst

https://news.sky.com/story/nazanin-zaghari-ratcliffe-britons-ankle-tag-removed-as-five-year-sentence-in-tehran-ends-12238804

A British woman held in Iran for five years over claims she plotted to overthrow the government has had her ankle tag removed but faces another court date.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's lawyer, Hojjat Kermani, told Sky News that she had been released and could now move around as long as she doesn't leave the country.

Sky News diplomatic editor Dominic Waghorn said it was "pretty clear from the Iranians she's being held as a hostage" over decades of wrangling linked to a £400m tank deal.

He said Iran paid the money for the tanks in 1979 but they were never delivered because the Iranian Revolution happened.

"The Iranians have made it pretty clear that once that money's been paid she will be released," said Waghorn.

He said the money could finally be released in April and that the latest development might be the Iranians "playing for time".

endacl

You know you could just write this in a diary? Maybe keep a scrapbook?

biko

So OP, do you think Britain should pay the money?

With inflation they're looking at 6 billion pounds

end of the road

biko wrote: »

So OP, do you think Britain should pay the money?

With inflation they're looking at 6 billion pounds

britain should of course pay what they owe, yes .

Eric Cartman

end of the road wrote: »

britain should of course pay what they owe, yes .

Unsurprising that here we are with an opportunity to blame the brits for the iranians imprisoning someone and yet again youll take that opportunity. This is sham begum all over again

end of the road

Eric Cartman wrote: »

Unsurprising that here we are with an opportunity to blame the brits for the iranians imprisoning someone and yet again youll take that opportunity. This is sham begum all over again

nope, simply saying britain must pay what it owes, which should happen whether this lady is allowed to leave iran which she should be, or not.
she should never have been imprisoned anyway as she isn't guilty of anything, and maybe she might have been released but for thick johnson's "interevention" where he said she was a journalist.
the iranians are responsible for imprisoning her, but britain still must pay what it owes.
britain should always be held to account for the issues it causes, and blamed where it is responsible for creating issues, that should be the case for any country.

biko

Just send the tanks
https://tanks-alot.co.uk/product/chieftain-tank/
Prices: From £18,000 to £50,000

Gatling

biko wrote: »

Just send the tanks
https://tanks-alot.co.uk/product/chieftain-tank/
Prices: From £18,000 to £50,000

They could empty a few scrap yards and send the contents in shipping containers with a note saying here's the equivalent of your tank order

Gatling

end of the road wrote: »

britain should of course pay what they owe, yes .

Superise , surprise

biko

Britain to transfer outstanding £400m debt to Iran in coming days

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/britain-iran-debt-pay-400-million-pounds-tehran-iranian-ambassador-hamid-baeedinejad-nazanin-zaghari-ratcliffe-a8060626.html

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/iran-state-tv-quoting-anonymous-official-uk-pay-77449275

suicide_circus

That article is from 2017...

biko

Ha, indeed. They better hurry up so


This is the new one.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/iran-state-tv-quoting-anonymous-official-uk-pay-77449275

Iran state TV, quoting anonymous official, says UK will pay 400 million pounds to Tehran to free Iranian-British woman

ByThe Associated Press
2 May 2021, 14:37
TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran state TV, quoting anonymous official, says UK will pay 400 million pounds to Tehran to free Iranian-British woman.