Freed Zaghari-Ratcliffe does not owe us gratitude: Ex-UK foreign secretary

Britain鈥檚 Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt attends a news conference on media freedom as part of the G7 Foreign Ministers鈥� meeting in Dinard, France, April 5, 2019. (Reuters)
Short Url
  • Mom released from Iranian detention does not feel need to thank current British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss
  • Jeremy Hunt pledges support for independent inquiry into why release took so long

LONDON: The UK government took too long to bring home Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe from Iranian detention, a former British foreign secretary has said.

Jeremy Hunt, who was the UK鈥檚 foreign policy chief from July 2018 to 2019, added that she did not owe him or any of the four other foreign secretaries in the post during her stint in jail any 鈥渄ebt of gratitude.鈥�

Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in Iran in 2016 and released last week after six years in detention.

In her first press conference since release, she asked why it had taken so long and so many different foreign secretaries to get her freed.

It should have happened 鈥渟ix years ago,鈥� she said, adding that she 鈥渄id not really agree鈥� that she should be thanking the current British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss for her release.

鈥淚 have seen five foreign secretary changes over the course of six years. That is unprecedented given the politics of the UK,鈥� Zaghari-Ratcliffe said.

鈥淚 mean, how many foreign secretaries does it take for someone to come home? Five? It should have been one of them eventually. So now here we are. What鈥檚 happened now should have happened six years ago.鈥�

It is thought that her release was tied to the repayment of a British debt of about 拢400 million ($528 million) owed to Iran for an arms deal made with the country鈥檚 pre-revolutionary regime that the UK failed to deliver on.

In a statement on Tuesday, Hunt said: 鈥淭hose criticizing Nazanin have got it so wrong. She doesn鈥檛 owe us gratitude: We owe her an explanation.

鈥淪he鈥檚 absolutely right that it took too long to bring her home. I tried my best 鈥� as did other foreign secretaries 鈥� but if trying our best took six years then we must be honest and say the problem should have been solved earlier.鈥�

He also suggested that 鈥渕inisterial turnover may have been a factor鈥� in the effectiveness of the UK鈥檚 operation and conceded that 鈥渟o might initial reluctance to pay the debt.鈥�

He said he supported an independent investigation into why it took so long to bring Zaghari-Ratcliffe home, and that he would be 鈥済lad to assist鈥� it.

Hunt noted that 鈥渙pen scrutiny as to whether we could do things better is what happens in democratic, open societies,鈥� in contrast to 鈥減laces like Iran.鈥�

鈥淚t is why, ultimately, we are wiser and stronger,鈥� he added.

Hunt also said that people in government had 鈥渨orried it would look like a ransom鈥� if they were to pay and added that there were also 鈥渦ndoubtedly ... complications over how to pay a country that is sanctioned.鈥�

Iran and the US are currently in talks to lift some of those sanctions in exchange for curbs to Iran鈥檚 nuclear program 鈥� and a flurry of diplomatic activity has been taking place as the two approach a deal.