UK’s Johnson travels to Iran in hopes of freeing prisoner

Foreign secretary to meet counterpart in Tehran to discuss release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, accused of plotting against government

By AP 8 December 2017, 11:22 am

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Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, left, meets with Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe who is jailed in Iran, at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, November 15, 2017. (AFP/Stefan Rousseau)

LONDON — British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson plans to go to Iran in an effort to win the release of a British-Iranian national imprisoned on charges of trying to overthrow the government.

The Foreign Office said in a statement that Johnson would meet with Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammed Javad Zarif, on Saturday to discuss “a number of consular cases involving dual nationals,” along with other bilateral issues.

Johnson is under pressure to win the freedom of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a 38-year-old charity worker imprisoned in April 2016 after she was accused of plotting against Iran’s government.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her daughter Gabriella. (AFP)

Johnson complicated matters when he incorrectly stated last month that Zaghari-Ratcliffe was training journalists when she was arrested. Her husband says she was visiting family.

Johnson also plans to travel to Oman and the United Arab Emirates.