Iran Shouldn’t Use British Nationals as ‘Political Leverage,’ Says UK Minister
The Iranian regime shouldn’t use British dual nationals as “political leverage,” a British minister said on Monday.
James Cleverly, Britain’s Foreign Office minister for Middle East and North Africa, said that the incarceration of British-Iranian nationals such as Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is “completely unacceptable and inappropriate” and should be kept separate from ongoing legal disputes between the two countries.
It comes after Iranian state TV on Sunday quoted anonymous sources as saying a deal had been reached for the United Kingdom to pay £400 million ($552 million) to see the release of British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
T
he UK Government’s new “action plan” to protect journalists will do little to burnish the credentials of a would-be champion of media freedom that continues to imprison the world’s most famous dissident journalist.
Continuing to promote itself as the soi-disant global defender of journalistic freedom, the UK Government has just grandly unveiled a National Action Plan for the Safety of Journalists to protect newsmen and women from harassment and threats. UK journalists have apparently “suffered abuse and attacks while going about their work,” and the government is selflessly riding to their rescue. The plan involves “new training for police officers as well as aspiring and existing journalists, and commitments from social media platforms and prosecution services to take tough action against abusers.”
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NAZANIN ZAGHARI-RATCLIFFE will be released in a prisoner swap between the UK and Iran, the country’s state media has claimed.
According to Iranian state TV, the UK Government will pay a £400million debt to Tehran. By doing this, it will help pave the way to release Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe. The UK Government has disputed the claim from state media and has not confirmed any prisoner exchange despite reports from Iranian state media.
The £400million fee is in relation to debt over the non-delivery of tanks dating back to the 1970s.
It was also claimed the US has also agreed to release £5billion of frozen Iranian funds in order to sanction the prisoner swap.
G7 Ministers to meet for 1st time in 2 yrs
By IANS |
Published on
Mon, May 3 2021 15:33 IST |
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Address climate crisis with economic, health justice: G7 Speakers. Image Source: IANS News
London, May 3 : Ministers from the G7 countries will meet in person for the first time in two years on Monday in London, where they will discuss the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan, a post-Brexit trade deal, Iran s nuclear programme and China.
Ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US are due to meet British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, reports dpa news agency.
Members of the European Union will also attend, and representatives from Australia, India, South Korea, South Africa and the chairman of the Association of South-East Asian Nations have been invited as guests.
Ministri skupine G7 na prvem srečanju v živo od začetka pandemije rtvslo.si - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rtvslo.si Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.