Today in New York, in the margins of the UN General Assembly, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt held his first face-to-face bilateral meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif.
Mr Hunt discussed a range of issues relating to the bilateral relationship, particularly the ongoing cases of a number of detained British-Iranian dual nationals.
Following his meeting with Foreign Minister Zarif, Mr Hunt said:
I today made clear to my Iranian counterpart that it is absolutely essential that the Iranian government takes rapid action in relation to the cases of a number of detained dual nationals, including Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
I again pressed for Nazanin’s swift release – she deserves to be back at home with her family.
Yesterday (Monday 24 September), in a separate meeting of foreign ministers of the UK, Germany, France, Russia, China, Iran, and the EU High Representative, Mr Hunt urged Iran to continue to comply with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and expressed the UK’s firm commitment to the deal.
Following his discussions on the Iran nuclear deal, the Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said:
The UK remains committed to the Iran nuclear deal, which is critical for global security. We will continue to ensure the deal is upheld, and Iran must do the same.
The Foreign Secretary also took the opportunity to offer his personal condolences for the terrorist attack in Ahvaz over the weekend, which he condemned unreservedly.
