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| Boris Johnson Leaves Iran With Fate of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe Unclear | Boris Johnson Leaves Iran With Fate of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe Unclear |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| TEHRAN — Britain’s foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, left Tehran on Sunday without a clear public resolution on the fate of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the imprisoned British-Iranian dual citizen whose plight he had been accused of worsening. | TEHRAN — Britain’s foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, left Tehran on Sunday without a clear public resolution on the fate of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the imprisoned British-Iranian dual citizen whose plight he had been accused of worsening. |
| But Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s husband, Richard Ratcliffe, said he was encouraged by the progress made toward her release. | But Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s husband, Richard Ratcliffe, said he was encouraged by the progress made toward her release. |
| “This weekend we had our first ripple of freedom,” he said in a statement on Sunday, adding that her court case scheduled for Sunday — in which she had faced 16 more years in prison — had been postponed and linking the development to Mr. Johnson’s visit. | “This weekend we had our first ripple of freedom,” he said in a statement on Sunday, adding that her court case scheduled for Sunday — in which she had faced 16 more years in prison — had been postponed and linking the development to Mr. Johnson’s visit. |
| Iran’s judiciary, which is dominated by hard-liners, denied that any trial had been planned. The head of Iran’s revolutionary courts, Mousa Ghazanfarabadi, told the semiofficial Fars news agency that “Western outlets” had been publishing “false reports” about a new trial for Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe. | Iran’s judiciary, which is dominated by hard-liners, denied that any trial had been planned. The head of Iran’s revolutionary courts, Mousa Ghazanfarabadi, told the semiofficial Fars news agency that “Western outlets” had been publishing “false reports” about a new trial for Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe. |
| Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 38, was an employee of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the independent charitable arm of the Thomson Reuters news agency, when she was arrested while visiting Iran with her Her 2-year-old daughter, Gabriella, in April 2016. | |
| She was tried and sentenced to five years in prison on charges of sedition after she was accused of plotting a “soft toppling” of the government, according to the foundation. Her relatives denied the accusation. | She was tried and sentenced to five years in prison on charges of sedition after she was accused of plotting a “soft toppling” of the government, according to the foundation. Her relatives denied the accusation. |
| Earlier this year, Mr. Johnson infuriated those working to free Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe by saying she had been “simply teaching people journalism” in Iran, something her employer, her relatives and her local parliamentary representative in Britain said was untrue. | |
| Mr. Johnson later apologized, saying his statement had been a mistake. | Mr. Johnson later apologized, saying his statement had been a mistake. |
| On Sunday, Mr. Ratcliffe, who had lobbied to accompany Mr. Johnson on the trip to Iran, said he was pleased with what the foreign secretary had been able to accomplish. | On Sunday, Mr. Ratcliffe, who had lobbied to accompany Mr. Johnson on the trip to Iran, said he was pleased with what the foreign secretary had been able to accomplish. |
| “A month ago I was cursing the foreign secretary,” he said, “but he promised when we met that he would do his best for Nazanin, and to date he has been as good as his word.” | |
| Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has been allowed to make phone calls from prison, was quoted by the British broadcaster Sky News as saying she “can see some light today.” | Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has been allowed to make phone calls from prison, was quoted by the British broadcaster Sky News as saying she “can see some light today.” |
| Mr. Johnson’s three-nation trip to the Middle East took him to Oman on Friday, and he was expected to visit the United Arab Emirates next. | |
| He met with Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, on Sunday after meeting with the foreign minister on Saturday. No details of their talks were released. But the British Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying both men “spoke forthrightly about the obstacles in the relationship and agreed on the need to make progress in all areas.” | |
| Among the “difficult issues” they discussed were ways to preserve the Iran nuclear deal that President Trump has derided as the “worst deal” and “an embarrassment.” | Among the “difficult issues” they discussed were ways to preserve the Iran nuclear deal that President Trump has derided as the “worst deal” and “an embarrassment.” |
| Britain is also considering settling a longstanding debt to Iran by repaying about 400 million pounds, or about $537 million, from a pre-1979 arms deal involving hundreds of Chieftain tanks that were never delivered. | Britain is also considering settling a longstanding debt to Iran by repaying about 400 million pounds, or about $537 million, from a pre-1979 arms deal involving hundreds of Chieftain tanks that were never delivered. |
| Mr. Johnson left without a clear conclusion to the long-running dispute over the arms deal, which some analysts suggest could be used to help secure a release. | Mr. Johnson left without a clear conclusion to the long-running dispute over the arms deal, which some analysts suggest could be used to help secure a release. |
| But both Britain and Iran say a repayment would not be tied to Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s case, though the United States made a similar payment to Iran in 2016, around the time that four American citizens, including The Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, were released. | But both Britain and Iran say a repayment would not be tied to Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s case, though the United States made a similar payment to Iran in 2016, around the time that four American citizens, including The Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, were released. |
| Iran’s judiciary announced this year that more than 30 dual nationals were being held in the nation’s prisons, several on charges of spying. | Iran’s judiciary announced this year that more than 30 dual nationals were being held in the nation’s prisons, several on charges of spying. |