Boris Johnson apologises for saying Brit jailed in Iran Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was training journalists in the country

Hatty Collier13 November 2017
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Boris Johnson has apologised "for inadvertently causing her further anguish" to a British mother jailed in Iran after he incorrectly claimed she had gone to the country to train journalists.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested last year on a visit to her parents and was handed a five-year sentence on allegations of spying and attempting to topple the Iranian regime.

Mr Johnson returned from Brussels to answer an urgent question on the case in the House of Commons, amid continuing concern that his suggestion to a parliamentary committee that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was training journalists in Iran has exposed her to the threat of the doubling of her five-year jail sentence.

Addressing MPs in the House, he apologised to the British mother for the incorrect remarks he made last week about her and admitted that his words “could and should” have been clearer.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and daughter Gabriella
AFP

He said: “The British Government has no doubt that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was in Iran on holiday and that was the sole purpose of her visit.

“As I said in the House last week, my remarks on the subject before the Foreign Affairs Select Committee could and should have been clearer.

“I acknowledge that the words that I used were open to being misinterpreted and I apologise to Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her family if I have inadvertently caused them any further anguish.

“The House should bear in mind that Iran’s regime and no-one else has chosen to separate this mother from her infant daughter for reasons even they find it difficult to explain or describe.”

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her husband Richard Ratcliffe and their daughter Gabriella
PA

Mr Johnson is to meet her husband on Wednesday to discuss the possibility of her being offered "diplomatic protection" as part of Government efforts to secure her return from Iran.

Downing Street confirmed that the Foreign Office is looking into the possible use of the status after Richard Ratcliffe spoke with the Foreign Secretary by phone at the weekend.

It is thought that legal advice will have to be taken before determining whether the status - which would raise Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's plight from a consular case to a formal dispute between the two countries - is the best method for speeding her release.

She was last week threatened with an extension to her jail term Mr Johnson had incorrectly claimed she had gone to the country to train journalists.

Her husband Mr Ratcliffe, who says his wife is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, has appealed to be allowed to join Mr Johnson on a trip to Iran planned by the end of the year, and to visit her in jail with the Foreign Secretary.

He also urged the Foreign Office to ensure that all ministers know that the Government position is that his wife was on holiday at the time of her arrest, after Environment Secretary Michael Gove said in a TV interview that he did not know what she was doing in Iran.

Mr Ratcliffe described diplomatic protection as the "crucial next step" in the campaign for his wife's release.

"It is important," he said. "There's a way in which the Government will stand up and protect her much more stridently if she is given diplomatic protection.

"It is something that is within the gift of the Government to do. She is a British citizen, so she is eligible. And it is something for them to decide whether they want to or not."

Mr Ratcliffe said it was important for the Government to make clear to Iran that holding British citizens, some of them for many years, was "not OK".

But he added: "I think it is hard. It is not for me to sit here and say 'It is really easy, they just need to make a phone call'.

"Because of course Boris Johnson has made phone calls before, Theresa May has made phone calls before - it wasn't magically solved.

"I think it is clearly a complicated situation off-stage and it requires lots of complicated negotiations.

"The fact that the Government is making it clear that this is a top priority makes it much more likely to be solved. That can only be a good thing.

"But hand on heart, I can't promise that it is just the neglect that has led to this situation. They have obviously been trying at some level, it is just now they need to try harder."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in