International News
May 3, 2021
LONDON (AP) Foreign and development ministers from the Group of Seven leading industrial nations will be meeting in London this week in their first face-to-face discussions in two years, with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken holding talks with British host Dominic Raab later Monday.
The withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and a post-Brexit trade deal are likely to feature in the discussions between Blinken and Raab. A possible prisoner exchange deal with Iran is also likely to feature in their talks.
Speculation has mounted that the United States and the U.K. are in discussions with Iran over the release of prisoners, which could see the release of British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
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.
Ministers from the G7 group of the world's most developed nations are meeting face-to-face for the first time in two years, ahead of a leaders' summit in June.
By PAN PYLAS | Associated Press | Published: May 3, 2021 LONDON The U.S. and the U.K. dismissed reports coming out of Iran that they are thrashing out a prisoner exchange deal with Tehran that could see the imminent release of a British-Iranian woman, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, and four Americans, among others. Iran was a key topic of discussions Monday between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his host in London, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. Their meeting took place a day before the first face-to-face meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of Seven leading industrial nations in two years, largely due to the coronavirus pandemic. Iran, Ukraine, China, Russia, climate change and COVD-19 are expected to dominate the talks.
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May. 3, 2021 6:03 PM
Issues related to Iran are set to feature in talks later Monday between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his host in London, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.
The bilateral talks come a day ahead of the first face-to-face discussions in two years of foreign and development ministers from the Group of Seven leading industrial nations and other invited representatives. The U.K. holds this year s presidency of the G-7.
Blinken s visit to London, his first since being appointed by President Joe Biden, comes amid mounting speculation of a prisoner exchange deal with Iran. Prisoner exchanges are not uncommon and were a feature of the 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and leading powers. Biden has indicated that he is looking to restart nuclear talks with Tehran after his predecessor, Donald Trump, pulled the U.S. out of the agreement.