Couple held in Iran

Agree, where would such money come from these days? They're going to be a long way down the list of priorities

Thanks @DeepFatFried 😊

The local negotiators suggest the authorities are treating it as a standard criminal matter - well, as “standard” as espionage gets! I suspect that will change when Iran’s order for chieftain tanks from the UK circa 1978 makes it to the top of the agenda, as it did with Nazanin Ratcliffe. People have long memories!

@Vinvertebrate I am really appreciating your commentary and observations here. The political and social context are critical to their plight, and we can't really comment unless we understand it.

Having looked again at the list of people round the table at the meeting the fact that they are the Kerman Prosecutor and Kerman governor’s deputy for security and law enforcement rather than the Iranian Minister for Offering Hospitable Tea and Biscuits to the British Ambassador does not look hopeful at this stage.

Very funny 🤣

@letsallchant 400 million I believe. But I don't think we've got it down the back of the sofa anymore.

400 million

How much did the UK government have to pay, of the historical debt to Iran, before the release of Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe was agreed? I'm not sure but I imagine it was a lot, lot more than the sale of a Spanish villa would fetch.

I’m think that would be a drop in the ocean!

I guess the villa could be sold to help pay costs for their release.

Yes I think they were on some kind of mission to prove that Iran wasn't the Oppressive Regime portrayed by the press and everyone is loving and kind which of course not everyone is

I think both of those things are true. The regime is undeniably oppressive and fundamentalist, there are countless examples of this. It also flouts international law and has no qualms about detaining (and worse) people it knows to be innocent.

It’s also true that Persian people are hospitable, welcoming and open-hearted, which was ostensibly why this couple’s so-called risk assessment determined they would be fine. There is a sort of “liberal elite” (awful phrase) in Iran comprising (generally) educated urbanites who have been exposed to the world outside of an Islamic theocracy, and are appalled by their unelected leaders. Obviously, most of the diaspora come from this group and they have (also generally) flourished in the countries they fled to post-79.

However, the uprising against the Shah did not happen in a vacuum (and tbf he was no less corrupt than the current lot). The Islamists came to power as the result of a huge protest by ordinary people, there are remote villages where life hasn’t changed much in centuries and Islamic rule retains popular support in many places - Iran itself being a rather massive and diverse place!

That’s why someone I know won’t go back to visit her family, her father is Iranian and he won’t go either.

Yes they are Spanish residents. They rent out a holiday villa there.

Yes I think they were on some kind of mission to prove that Iran wasn't the Oppressive Regime portrayed by the press and everyone is loving and kind which of course not everyone is .

I do think their intentions were good but they have been very very naive at worst arrogant as in it won't happen to us . By interviewing and filming they have come across as investigative journalists not the tourists they were .

I thought public displays of affection such as handholding kissing etc particularly if you are not married was a big no no in a lot of Islamic countries. I know it is in Dubai although it probably is cultural . I remember being frowned at and cussed in Turkey for holding hands with my husband in public .

I do feel for this couple as I think their intentions were good and they are nice decent people at heart .

Apparently they were featured on Channel 4s A New Life in the Sun when they moved from the UK to Spain .

I for one appreciate the anecdotes @Vinvertebrate because I think some people simply don't understand what is being dealt with- and having magical thinking and a magical western passport isn't a get out of jail free card in and of itself.

And YY to White Saviour complexes. They are in a desperate situation. The fact it's of their own making is frustrating beyond belief and i am concerned about the Iranians they have been photographed with - like others I too have the expectation they have some unpleasant times ahead themselves as the authorities have photographic proof that they were associating with westerners now arrested for espionage.

@BigBlueRhino I believe they were British (UK passport), living in Spain, en route to Australia overland to attend a conference.

I am not sure that the hugging/kissing etc will make any material difference, given the massive steaming pile of shite they are eyes-deep in anyway, but yes it does contribute to the overwhelming impression of arrogance, cultural insensitivity and white savior-complex that seems to be oozing from them! And it won’t win them any friends amongst the regime or its puppets, like the morality police.

Sorry for all the anecdotes, but SIL was picked up by the morality police for “unIslamic dress” because of the cut of her jeans (purchased on a shopping trip with me in the UK!) There is zero tolerance of this stuff if you are unlucky enough to be caught.

Thank you @SchoolDilemma17 - they were “lucky” because they were (eventually) released without charge, although FIL’s pensions and savings were confiscated.

@Vinvertebrate

I thought this couple were Australian ?

I don't think they are married and were seen kissing and holding hands in Iran . Will that go against them also ?

@Vinvertebrate the UK will have to pay for their release for sure - probably not in cash but there will be some quid pro quo. Or they will stay in jail for a while. The elderly Austrian dual national got sentenced for 10 years for espionage, Austria got him out after 3 but had to cut a deal.

I am sorry to hear about your relatives.

Yes, all of this. If the UK government pays for their release (and I hope to god it doesn’t), what exactly do we think a terrorist regime fighting proxy wars in Lebanon, Gaza and Yemen, and under threat from Israel, is going to use the money for? Because it won’t be building playgrounds or hospitals.

Of course, people in the UK are in no serious danger of suffering any harm from the consequences of this couple’s crass decisions, so can afford to be blasé about potentially funneling millions to death cult sympathisers. My FIL and my MIL’s brother were both imprisoned by the regime in the 1980’s for much less than the unfortunate Iranians caught in this couple’s charade. No doubt they will be forgotten, while the foolish Brits are still front page news.

It's just mind boggling, they think it's all a game don't they? Or should I say, thought....we're so cool that we need an armed escort, for the love of god...

Not surprising, as no university research ethics committee would have given her ethical approval for travel to Iran as described. It would have been rejected as too dangerous.

Exactly. The astonishing arrogance of this couple! I'm pretty sure that everyone of the Iranians they spoke to will be rounded up and taken away for questioning. And quite likely never to be seen again.

She is a lecturer at the Institue of Positive Psychology. Whatever that is

I think they are the type that think advice from the Foreign Office and suchlike is for the birds. They of course want to show off that rules are not for them effectively a 'look at me' scenario. Worked out well for them didnt it?