Hopes for detained UK-Iranian as passport returned: MP

LONDON: Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has been held in Tehran since 2016, has had her British passport returned, her local MP in London said on Tuesday, raising hopes for her release.

"I am very pleased to say that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been given her British passport back," Labour MP Tulip Siddiq wrote on her Twitter account. "I also understand that there is a British negotiating team in Tehran right now," she added. Siddiq’s comment follows reports that London and Tehran may be close to resolving a long-standing dispute over a debt dating back to the time of the Shah of Iran.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s husband, Richard Ratcliffe, believes his wife is being held as a political pawn until the debt of £400 million ($520 million) for defence equipment is resolved. Resolving the dispute could clear the way for the release of other UK nationals held in Iran. On the debt, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office told AFP, "We continue to explore options to resolve this case and will not comment further as discussions are ongoing."

Asked about reports on the possible release of Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a spokesman added, "We have long called for the release of unfairly detained British nationals in Iran.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s lawyer Hojjat Kermani was optimistic about her situation, according to her employer, the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the philanthrophic arm of the news and data agency.