NAZANIN ZAGHARI-RATCLIFFE will be released in a prisoner swap between the UK and Iran, the country’s state media has claimed.
According to Iranian state TV, the UK Government will pay a £400million debt to Tehran. By doing this, it will help pave the way to release Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe. The UK Government has disputed the claim from state media and has not confirmed any prisoner exchange despite reports from Iranian state media.
The £400million fee is in relation to debt over the non-delivery of tanks dating back to the 1970s.
It was also claimed the US has also agreed to release £5billion of frozen Iranian funds in order to sanction the prisoner swap.
Despite the reports, a UK Foreign Office spokesperson claimed the 40-year debt dispute is ongoing and is not yet resolved.
They said: “We continue to explore options to resolve this 40-year-old case and will not comment further as legal discussions are ongoing.”
AC