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Three Australians, two of them dual British citizens, arrested in Iran Three Australians, two of them dual British citizens, held in Iran
(about 1 hour later)
Three Australian citizens – two of whom also hold British passports – have been arrested and detained in Iran.Three Australian citizens – two of whom also hold British passports – have been arrested and detained in Iran.
One of the women, a British-Australian academic who has been teaching at a university in Australia, was arrested several months ago, sources confirmed to the Guardian. A female British-Australian academic who has been teaching at a university in Australia was arrested several months ago, sources confirmed to the Guardian.
In an unrelated arrest several weeks ago, a female British-Australian blogger and her male Australian partner were detained while travelling across the country. It is believed they were camping in a military area around Jajrood in Tehran province. In an unrelated arrest several weeks ago, a British-Australian blogger and her male Australian partner were detained while travelling across the country. It is believed they were camping in a military area around Jajrood in Tehran province.
The two women have reportedly been detained in Tehran’s Evin jail, where 41-year-old British-Iranian national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been incarcerated on spying charges since 2016. The whereabouts of the man is unknown. Iran has targeted Iranian dual-national citizens in recent years, but the detention of foreign citizens who do not hold Iranian nationality is unusual.
Free Nazanin or I fear she will take her life, pleads husband The Australian government is leading negotiations with Tehran over the conditions and potential release of all three arrested.
While two of those arrested hold dual citizenships, the Australian government is leading negotiations with Tehran over the conditions and potential release of all three arrested. The UK Foreign Office has been aware of the incidents for some weeks, but has asked journalists not to report them.
A spokesperson for the department of foreign affairs and trade confirmed the department was “providing consular assistance to the families of three Australians detained in Iran”.
“Due to our privacy obligations, we will not comment further.”
The arrests come amid increasing tensions between Iran and a small US-led coalition – whose only other members are the UK, Australia and Bahrain – which will send naval warships to patrol the Strait of Hormuz.
Reformist-backed cleric Hassan Rouhani wins presidential election, defeating conservative Tehran mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.Reformist-backed cleric Hassan Rouhani wins presidential election, defeating conservative Tehran mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Iran signs the joint comprehensive plan of action with the US, UK, China, Russia, France, Germany and the EU after years of negotiations. The  deal limits Iranian nuclear activity in return for the lifting of economic sanctions. Crucially, the deal gives UN nuclear inspectors access to suspected Iranian sites.Iran signs the joint comprehensive plan of action with the US, UK, China, Russia, France, Germany and the EU after years of negotiations. The  deal limits Iranian nuclear activity in return for the lifting of economic sanctions. Crucially, the deal gives UN nuclear inspectors access to suspected Iranian sites.
International economic sanctions on Iran are lifted after the UN says it is satisfied with Tehran’s adherence to the nuclear deal.International economic sanctions on Iran are lifted after the UN says it is satisfied with Tehran’s adherence to the nuclear deal.
Hassan Rouhani re-elected in a landslide.Hassan Rouhani re-elected in a landslide.
US president Donald Trump unilaterally withdraws the US from the 2015 nuclear deal, despite broad agreement that Tehran has largely adhered to its conditions. In response, Iran warns it will restart lifting uranium enrichment capacity.US president Donald Trump unilaterally withdraws the US from the 2015 nuclear deal, despite broad agreement that Tehran has largely adhered to its conditions. In response, Iran warns it will restart lifting uranium enrichment capacity.
An Iranian supertaker suspected of carrying oil to Syria (in breach of sanctions) is seized by UK marines and local police off the coast of Gibraltar. Spain says the seizure of the vessel - believed to be carrying 2m barrels of oil - was made at the request of the US.An Iranian supertaker suspected of carrying oil to Syria (in breach of sanctions) is seized by UK marines and local police off the coast of Gibraltar. Spain says the seizure of the vessel - believed to be carrying 2m barrels of oil - was made at the request of the US.
US announces it is putting together a coalition of countries to patrol the Strait of Hormuz. "We are going to keep it open,” secretary of state Mike Pompeo says. “Countries from all across the world who have a vested interest in keeping those waterways open will participate.”US announces it is putting together a coalition of countries to patrol the Strait of Hormuz. "We are going to keep it open,” secretary of state Mike Pompeo says. “Countries from all across the world who have a vested interest in keeping those waterways open will participate.”
Trump claims USS Boxer shot down an Iranian drone that came within 1,000 yards of the ship in the Strait of Hormuz and ignored multiple calls to stand down. Tehran denies Trump’s assertion, saying the US might have “shot down their own unmanned aerial system by mistake”.Trump claims USS Boxer shot down an Iranian drone that came within 1,000 yards of the ship in the Strait of Hormuz and ignored multiple calls to stand down. Tehran denies Trump’s assertion, saying the US might have “shot down their own unmanned aerial system by mistake”.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seize two oil tankers - the British-flagged Stena Impero and the Liberian-flagged Mesdar – in the Strait of Hormuz, alleging infringement of maritime regulations. The seizures are widely seen as retaliatory.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seize two oil tankers - the British-flagged Stena Impero and the Liberian-flagged Mesdar – in the Strait of Hormuz, alleging infringement of maritime regulations. The seizures are widely seen as retaliatory.
Australia announces it will join the US-led coalition patrolling the Strait of Hormuz, promising a “modest, meaningful and time-limited” contribution. France, Germany have declined to contribute. The only other countries to join are the UK and Bahrain.Australia announces it will join the US-led coalition patrolling the Strait of Hormuz, promising a “modest, meaningful and time-limited” contribution. France, Germany have declined to contribute. The only other countries to join are the UK and Bahrain.
In August, Australian prime minister Scott Morrison committed to the US-led mission, saying “destabilising behaviour” – a thinly-veiled reference to Iran capturing foreign-flagged ships – was a threat to Australian interests one of the world’s most vital oil arteries. The two women have reportedly been detained in Evin prison in Tehran, where the 41-year-old British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been incarcerated on spying charges since 2016. The whereabouts of the man is unknown.
The Times reported that the academic had been sentenced to 10 years in prison and was being held in solitary confinement, according to a source familiar with the case. The source also told the Times that the blogger had been told by the Iranian authorities that she was being held in order to facilitate a prisoner swap with Australia. Boris Johnson, then the UK foreign secretary, was severely criticised over his handling of the Zaghari-Ratcliffe case after he erroneously told the Commons she was teaching journalism while in Iran.
The Australian government updated its travel advice for Iran on Monday. The overall advice suggests “reconsider your need to travel” and says “do not travel” to border areas with Afghanistan and Iran. Tensions have been rising between the UK and Iran in recent months, triggered by the seizure of an Iranian tanker by the UK off Gibraltar in July. In August, the Australian prime minister committed to a US-led mission to patrol the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil passes. Scott Morrison said “destabilising behaviour” – a thinly veiled reference to Iran’s capture of foreign-flagged ships – was a threat to Australian interests.
The travel advice warns: “There is a risk that foreigners, including Australians, could be arbitrarily detained or arrested in Iran. We can’t guarantee consular access if you are detained or arrested. We also can’t guarantee access to legal representation.” A spokesperson for Australia’s department of foreign affairs and trade confirmed the department was providing consular assistance to the families of three Australians detained in Iran.
The advice also specifically urges travellers not to visit military or nuclear sites, which, it says, “are not always clearly marked”. The Australian government updated its travel advice for Iran, warning:“There is a risk that foreigners, including Australians, could be arbitrarily detained or arrested in Iran. We can’t guarantee consular access if you are detained or arrested. We also can’t guarantee access to legal representation.”
According to the Center for Human Rights in Iran, at least 12 dual and foreign nationals or Iranian citizens with foreign permanent residences were known to be imprisoned in Iran as of July 2019. Most hold Iranian citizenship alongside another nationality, but Tehran does not recognise dual citizenship and these prisoners are routinely denied access to embassy officials from their other country of nationality. The advice also urges travellers not to visit military or nuclear sites, which, it says, “are not always clearly marked”.
The centre said there was a pattern to the arrest of foreign nationals, involving prolonged solitary confinement and interrogations, a lack of due legal process and access to counsel, and a denial of consular access or visits by the UN or humanitarian organisations. It is understood that at least one of the British-Australian women currently detained has had meetings with Australian consular officials. An increasingly unpredictable brinkmanship has emerged between the US – and by association, its allies – and Iran since Washington withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018. The US has pursued its “maximum pressure” strategy through economic and trade sanctions, while Tehran has responded by stepping up its nuclear programme beyond the limits of the deal.
Typically, foreign nationals are brought before secretive trials and sentenced to long prison terms based on vague “national security” or “espionage” charges, the centre said. On Wednesday Iran’s ambassador to the UK, Hamid Baeidinejad, was summoned to the Foreign Office by the foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, amid British claims that Tehran has torn up undertakings that the seized Iranian oil tanker would not sell its 2.1m barrels of oil to Syria.
Troubled waters: Australia bets on Trump in Middle East deployment Britain released the ship only after receiving written undertakings from Iranian diplomats. Iran says it is not required to implement EU sanctions against Syria, and now says the ship’s oil has been sold.
An increasingly unpredictable brinkmanship has emerged between the US (and, by association, its allies) and Iran since the US withdrew from the joint comprehensive plan of action (JCPOA) nuclear deal in May 2018. Free Nazanin or I fear she will take her life, pleads husband
Washington has pursued its “maximum pressure” strategy through economic and trade sanctions, while Tehran has responded by stepping up its nuclear program beyond the limits of the deal. The UK remains committed to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, despite pressure from the US to pull out, and is privately supporting Donald Trump in his efforts to hold a summit with the Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, at the UN general assembly in New York.
In July off the coast of Gibraltar, British marines working with Gibraltan police seized an Iranian supertanker suspected of carrying 2m barrels of oil to Syria in breach of sanctions. Spain said the interception had been conducted at the request of the US.
The oil was released on the condition that Iran would not sell oil to the “murderous regime” of Bashar al-Assad, however, over the weekend Tehran confirmed that the oil had been sold after the tanker reached its final destination. It was photographed off the coast of Syria but Iran did not formally confirm that the oil had been sold to Syria.
The British foreign office said in a statement: “Iran’s actions represent an unacceptable violation of international norms and the UK will raise the issue at the United Nations later this month.”
The UK foreign secretary, Dominic Raab said Iran had shown “complete disregard” for the commitments it had made over the oil. “This sale of oil to Assad’s brutal regime is part of a pattern of behaviour by the government of Iran designed to disrupt regional security... We want Iran to come in from the cold, but the only way to do that is to keep its word and comply with the rules-based international system.”
In apparent retaliation for the oil seizure, later in July, Iran seized two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, claiming the British and Liberian-flagged ships had breached maritime regulations.
The British MP Tulip Siddiq said: “Iran have raised the stakes again and shown the UK’s soft diplomatic responses to Iran’s illegal and inhumane treatment of British prisoners has not worked. This is a wake-up call for the prime minister and the government to act urgently to bring our innocent citizens home.”The British MP Tulip Siddiq said: “Iran have raised the stakes again and shown the UK’s soft diplomatic responses to Iran’s illegal and inhumane treatment of British prisoners has not worked. This is a wake-up call for the prime minister and the government to act urgently to bring our innocent citizens home.”
Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been held in Iran since being arrested while visiting relatives in April 2016. The regime accused her of working to “spread propaganda against Iran”, a charge she has strenuously and consistently denied. According to the Center for Human Rights in Iran, at least 12 dual and foreign nationals or Iranian citizens with foreign permanent residences were known to be imprisoned in the country as of July 2019. Most hold Iranian citizenship alongside another nationality, but Tehran does not recognise dual citizenship and these prisoners are routinely denied access to embassy officials from their other country of nationality.
Boris Johnson, then the foreign secretary, was severely criticised over his handling of the case after he erroneously told the Commons that Zaghari-Ratcliffe was teaching journalism while in Iran. Troubled waters: Australia bets on Trump in Middle East deployment
Zaghari-Ratcliffe was accused by Tehran’s prosecutor general of running a “BBC Persian online journalism course, which was aimed at recruiting and training people to spread propaganda against Iran”. The centre said there was a pattern to the arrest of foreign nationals, involving prolonged solitary confinement and interrogations, a lack of due legal process and access to counsel, and a denial of consular access or visits by the UN or humanitarian organisations. It is understood that at least one of the British-Australian women being detained has had meetings with Australian consular officials.
She briefly worked for BBC Media Action, the corporation’s international development charity, but had left more than five years before her arrest. At that time, she was working as a project manager for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the news agency’s charitable arm, which has made clear she is not employed as a journalist and was in the country solely in a personal capacity.
Johnson later corrected his mistake but it was used against her in court. Zaghari-Ratcliffe was sentenced to five years in prison and has suffered from mental and physical health problems during her incarceration.
Last month her relatives said she and her fellow inmates in the notorious Evin prison had been placed under a strict new regime, meaning their visiting rights were restricted and they were no longer allowed to make international calls.
Another person made the object of the harsh new restrictions was Aras Amiri, an Iranian who has permanent-resident status in Britain. She lost her appeal against a 10-year jail sentence in Tehran after being accused of spying for the UK while she was visiting a sick relative year.
Additional reporting by Michael McGowan and Kate Lyons
Additional reporting by Michael McGowan and Kate Lyons
IranIran
Middle East and North AfricaMiddle East and North Africa
Australian foreign policyAustralian foreign policy
Foreign policyForeign policy
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