UK's Johnson to visit Iran, seek prisoner's release

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British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson will visit Iran this weekend, where he will press for the release of a British-Iranian woman held in a Tehran prison, his office said Friday.

Johnson will seek the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was sentenced to five years in prison in September 2016 for taking part in mass anti-regime protests in 2009 – a charge she denies.

She is due to face fresh propaganda charges in court on Sunday, which could land her several more years in jail.

Johnson will meet with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif and will also hold talks on the Iranian nuclear deal.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson shakes hands with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif. /Reuters Photo‍

Johnson will arrive in Muscat on Friday for the start of a three-day visit to Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Iran.

"This visit comes at a crucial time for the Gulf region and provides an opportunity to discuss a peaceful solution to the conflict in Yemen, the future of the Iran nuclear deal and the current volatility in the Middle East," a Foreign Office spokesman said.

The trip will be Johnson's first visit to Iran, the first for a British foreign secretary since 2015 and only the third since 2003.

"We expect talks to cover a wide range of issues from the bilateral relationship to regional security," the spokesman said.

"The government remains very concerned about all our dual nationals detained in Iran and has been doing everything it can to make progress on their cases, while approaching them in a way that we judge is in their best interests.

"The foreign secretary will urge the Iranians to release dual nationals where there are humanitarian grounds to do so."

Source(s): AFP