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- Husband Richard Ratcliffe: Iran has ordered Nazanin to report to court for a new trial on Monday and then back to jail
- Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab: Britain has made it clear to Iran 鈥渢hat is entirely unjustified and totally unacceptable and must not happen鈥�
LONDON: Britain on Friday warned Iran against throwing detained woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe back in jail, after hauling in Tehran鈥檚 envoy for a dressing-down over her emotive case.
The Foreign Office summoned Ambassador Hamid Baeidinejad on Thursday to hear renewed demands from a senior official for an end to the British-Iranian captive鈥檚 鈥渁rbitrary detention.鈥�
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told BBC radio Zaghari-Ratcliffe was in a 鈥渉orrific position,鈥� after her husband said Iran has ordered her to report to court for a new trial on Monday and then back to jail.
Britain has made it clear to Iran 鈥渢hat is entirely unjustified and totally unacceptable and must not happen,鈥� Raab said.
Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who will turn 42 on Boxing Day, has been on temporary release from Tehran鈥檚 Evin prison and under house arrest since earlier this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
She has spent more than four years in jail, or under house arrest, since being detained in the Iranian capital in April 2016 while visiting relatives with her young daughter.
Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who worked for the Thomson Reuters Foundation 鈥� the media organization鈥檚 philanthropic arm 鈥� denied charges of sedition but was convicted and jailed for five years.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has spent more than four years in jail, or under house arrest, since being detained in the Iranian capital in April 2016. (AFP)
Her husband Richard Ratcliffe said this week that the Foreign Office鈥檚 handling of the case 鈥渟eems disastrous,鈥� and that 鈥渢he UK is dancing to Iran鈥檚 tune.鈥�
Raab told the BBC: 鈥淲e鈥檝e made it very clear we want to try to put the relationship between the UK and Iran on a better footing.
鈥淚f Nazanin is returned to prison, that will of course put our discussions and the basis of those discussions in a totally different place. It is entirely unacceptable.鈥�
Richard Ratcliffe linked the latest development to the postponement of a hearing that was due to take place on Tuesday in London to address Iran鈥檚 longstanding demand for the repayment by Britain of hundreds of millions from an old military equipment order.
鈥淎s Nazanin鈥檚 husband, I do think that if she鈥檚 not home for Christmas, there鈥檚 every chance this could run for years,鈥� he said, accusing Iran of 鈥渉ostage diplomacy.鈥�