Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, British-Iranian woman leaves Iran
March 16, 2022, 3:36 pm

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, British-Iranian woman leaves Iran

Richard Ratcliffe, husband of British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, and their daughter Gabriella outside the Iranian Embassy in London in March.

British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is about to leave Iran where she has been detained since 2016, her MP has said, the Irish Times reported.

Both Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe and fellow detainee Anousheh Ashoori are believed to be heading to Tehran airport to leave the country,

Tulip Siddiq, Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s MP in Hampstead and Kilburn wrote on Twitter: “Nazanin is at the airport in Tehran and on her way home.”

The UK Foreign Office has not commented on the reports and earlier on Tuesday Boris Johnson said negotiations about Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe were “moving forward” but “going right up to the wire”.

Iran releases British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

The apparent breakthrough will bring an end to the ordeal for Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe which began in 2016 when she was detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard at Imam Khomeini airport after a holiday visit to Iran where she showed her daughter Gabriella to her parents.

There have been signs of progress in delicate negotiations between the UK and Iran in recent days.

But Mr Johnson, during a trip to the Middle East, was careful not to elaborate further when speaking to reporters on Tuesday.

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A glimmer of optimism for 43-year-old Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe came a day earlier when Ms Siddiq said her British passport had been returned.

Mr Johnson confirmed a British negotiating team was working in Tehran to secure the release of dual nationals, while Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe remains at her family home in the Iranian capital.

He told broadcasters at the Emirates Pala: ce hotel in Abu Dhabi“I really don’t think I should say much more, I’m sorry, although things are moving forward."

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“I shouldn’t really say much more right now just because those negotiations continue to be under way and we’re going right up to the wire.”

Source: irishtimes

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.