Is It True

[gulliver1]

According to a report on Iranian state TV . The U/K is to pay £400m for the release of Zaghari Ratcliffe.

[-SharonA-]

They were talking about this earlier. They said Nanzanin is a hostage.
But no talk of paying at the time. Where is all this money coming from?

[douglas9401]

From what we don't send to Europe every week, Sharon.

[johnny.5]

it is coming from Iran as we took it off them for weapons years ago and never supplied the goods they paid for

[ToraToraTora]

we owe them apparently and it's only slightly more than we sent to the EUSSR every week so I'd say bargain, get the girl home.

[ubasses]

I thought the sanctions against Iran are what stopped us reimbursing them in the first place.

[ToraToraTora]

oddly enough it was the afore mentioned EUSSR that stopped us paying in 2002.

[Davemano]

Officials have downplayed reports Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is set to be released from Iran after state TV suggested Britain would pay a £400m debt to secure her release.

Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of the British-Iranian charity worker, said the family had not been updated but welcomed the signals from Tehran over the long-running dispute as "a good sign".
The Foreign Office said "legal discussions are ongoing" over the debt despite the claim made on Iranian state TV, which cited an anonymous official.

It was said that the UK government's position had not changed over the weekend and that Iran had made the claim before without the mother of one being released

[Bazile]

It's such a shame that some one can be used as a political pawn , like this .

[Proper12]

'It's such a shame that some one can be used as a political pawn , like this .'

Agree, Iran state is such a disgrace.

[tiggerblue10]

https://www.itv.com/news/2021-05-02/nazanin-zaghari-ratcliffe-to-be-released-as-uk-to-pay-iran-400m-state-tv-reports

[gulliver1]

19.02 It will be £400m less for the Cronie Club to share out.

[teacake44]

£400m and any wallpaper left over. :0)

[Deskdiary]

I think I’m a pretty black and white soul, so as far as I’m concerned if it is/was a legally enforceable contract and one party has fulfilled their side of the contract, then it is just that the other party should fulfil their side.

If that means paying the money, and a corollary of paying the money is the release of this woman, then great.

If the money wasn’t paid due to an international sanction, that s not the fault of the Tories Gulliver.

[Peter Pedant]

no goo-lie

The UK is to pay £400m for the release of Zaghari Ratcliffe.
correct to
The UK has to pay £400m for the release of Zaghari Ratcliffe.

various points arise again - fully discussed elsewhere but what they hell this is AB

The Shah paid £400m for tanks and the Iranian Rev Council said where are our tanks we paid for - and the UK govt said we are keeping both.
( geddit - shah and rev govt)
and the Iranian side is
The revolutionary govt is separate from the shah and its evil evil deeds except when it isnt. And part of our own evil evil practices is to take hostages and torture them where we think debts should be repaid ( always to us and not by us by the way - forget the embassy)

and Mrs Thatcher said - no ransoms ever - anyone of the cabinet who is kidnapped will DDDDIIIIIIEEEEE!
she included herself needless to say. (Aldo Moro)

[Peter Pedant]

// I think I’m a pretty black and white soul,//
good
then you can cope with - - if you contract wiv Mrs Mopp darn da road and someone else says
Mrs Mopp she go- her contract is mine

you are quite within your rights to say - - hold on for around 20 y

as Einstein once said - this is not rocket science

[gulliver1]

19 .34 "Its not the fault of the Tories" Gulliver.
Point out to me where I said that . Desk

[jno]

as far as I know, the EU sanctions were taken over into UK law after Brexit, so the situation hasn't changed. The case the government were putting last year is that this is like paying ransom for hostages and should be discouraged. But Britain's had the money for decades, since the Shah was in power; so maybe it's time it paid up.

[Sunk]

Zaghari Ratcliffe‘s family had convinced the Iranian authorities that she was not a provocateur and political agitator, but a writer.
Then Boris spoke at a select committee (didn’t read his notes) and told them that she was. So they locked her up.
£400 million for undoing a Johnson gaffe is par for the course (Garden bridge etc).

[youngmafbog]

//as far as I know, the EU sanctions were taken over into UK law after Brexit,//

And now we are free to amend/change such law as we see fit. Another bonus of leaving.

Personally I am not convinced we should hold onto the money, it's simply not ours and its certainly not the way to do business. The only issue I see is that it looks like it is a ransom. I am sure there are diplomatic was around that though.