Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

875 replies

viques · 15/03/2022 11:39

Report in the Guardian that she has had her passport returned and that a negotiating team are in place.

Too early for celebrations but I have got my fingers crossed behind my back.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
18
BeforeGodAndAllTheFish · 16/03/2022 11:11

Could someone explain what Boris Johnson did before? Why are people saying, "let's hope Boris keeps his mouth shut this time."?

sdra · 16/03/2022 11:11

ooh this would be so so uplifting

Spudlet · 16/03/2022 11:12

It’s going to be so tough for the whole family to recalibrate and deal with the trauma - for Anoosheh’s family too of course but especially I think I think for the Zagari-Ratcliffes as their daughter is still so young. I hope they are both home soon and there is plenty of support in place for them all.

PerkingFaintly · 16/03/2022 11:13

@Kfjsjdbd

Yes agree. I feel so emotional about this but don’t want to celebrate until she’s on the plane.
This.

Also agree with what PP said about the politics.

Oh god, fingers crossed fingers crossed fingers crossed.

Lesperance · 16/03/2022 11:16

@BeforeGodAndAllTheFish

Could someone explain what Boris Johnson did before? Why are people saying, "let's hope Boris keeps his mouth shut this time."?
He misrepresented her job, meaning that the Iranians could then claim that she was something she was not. He misspoke because he was being careless.
RoseslnTheHospital · 16/03/2022 11:16

@BeforeGodAndAllTheFish

Could someone explain what Boris Johnson did before? Why are people saying, "let's hope Boris keeps his mouth shut this time."?
www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/nov/06/boris-johnson-mistake-could-harm-case-for-nazanin-zaghari-ratcliffe-say-family

He said she was teaching journalism, when she wasn't, which harmed her defence against the charges she was accused of. In reality, she was always a pawn of the Iranian govt, but Johnson making such gaffes made it so much easier for them to use her in this way.

Spudlet · 16/03/2022 11:16

@BeforeGodAndAllTheFish

Could someone explain what Boris Johnson did before? Why are people saying, "let's hope Boris keeps his mouth shut this time."?
So Nazanin worked for the Thompson-Reuters Foundation, which is independent from Reuters the news organisation. She was in Iran on holiday seeing her family and not working. The Iranians arrested her on the pretext that she was undermining the Iranian state (or words to that effect). She wasn’t, and the official line from everyone was that she was on holiday - because she was! Then Johnson, when he was the Foreign Secretary, stood up in Parliament and said she was in Iran training journalists, and of course the Iranians leapt onto this as an admission that their accusations were true all along. They weren’t - Johnson just couldn’t be arsed to read his briefing properly. But it added massive fuel to the fire and made everything much worse. Because he is a twat who’s too lazy to do the basics of his job.
Gilly12345 · 16/03/2022 11:18

I have heard that she has been released, best news I have heard in ages.
😀😀

Thewindwhispers · 16/03/2022 11:18

Another one who doesn’t want to celebrate until she’s on the plane. They coukd still arrest her for something rlse like they’ve done before. That said, given thenpolitical statements it sounds like a deal has been made for the UK to pay its debt and maybe buy some oil. This will be related to Ukraine somehow.

What happened to Nazim was awful but I never really understood why the UK couldn’t find a way to pay its debt. Or maybe it was cos Iran was sending weapons over the border to fight us in Iraq I dunno.

EthelTheAardvark · 16/03/2022 11:18

@Pedallleur

Most expensive passport ever? £400 million we have paid back
Liz Truss has said that it is a legitimate debt that we owe.
NapoleonSolo · 16/03/2022 11:19

She's at the airport: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60756870

Thoosa · 16/03/2022 11:19

@BeforeGodAndAllTheFish

Could someone explain what Boris Johnson did before? Why are people saying, "let's hope Boris keeps his mouth shut this time."?
He seemed to confirm, while speaking in Parliament, that Iranian allegations that she’d been teaching journalism in Iran were true. This was something that had been officially denied.

If she was indeed teaching journalism to dissidents, and not simply on holiday, that was more political and something for the authorities there to use against her. (Not that journalism teaching should be grounds for arrest.)

It isn’t completely clear whether he let slip the truth, or got the truth and the allegations muddled. I have my suspicions and maybe all will become clear once she’s free.

The Home Office quickly shut him up and covered for him, before he made her situation still worse.

Soffit · 16/03/2022 11:20

There is the small matter of a trade deal which persuaded Liz Truss to concede that Iran were short changed in the past. There is also the need to deflect from the growing unease regarding the inconsistent treatment/media coverage of refugees from different races 'look what we did! we brought home a brown-skinned dual national!'. Boris also needs to bolster his popularity and claim it as his work.
What are the chances that the finer details were timed to be tied at an opportune political moment?

Soffit · 16/03/2022 11:20

tied up

AgathaMystery · 16/03/2022 11:21

@Thoosa excellent summary!

EthelTheAardvark · 16/03/2022 11:22

Anyone into flight tracking? I agree that I really wouldn't want to celebrate till we know she's on a plane and the plane is out of Iranian airspace.

ancientgran · 16/03/2022 11:23

Of course we owe them the money, in fact we must owe them alot more as they are surely owed interest?

I hope it all goes well. Her parents must be so relieved and yet it means she will never go home again, maybe they will never see her again. I'm not sure how old they are and if they are likely to be able to come here for visits. The whole thing is very tragic for everyone involved.

Thoosa · 16/03/2022 11:24

Thanks @AgathaMystery Smile

Blossomtoes · 16/03/2022 11:26

For God’s sake @Soffit, can’t we just have a few hours of rejoicing that she’s free and about to be reunited with her husband and daughter?

BeforeGodAndAllTheFish · 16/03/2022 11:28

Gosh. When that all happened with Boris, I completely missed it.
Have just watched the clips of him speaking and then his pathetic apology in the commons afterwards where he didnt actually say he had got it wrong.

I'd followed a lot of her case whenever it was on the news. Dont know how I managed to miss that. Sorry and thanks for explaining!

BoreOfWhabylon · 16/03/2022 11:29

Like others, I am waiting with bated breath to hear that she is on the plane, it has taken off and is out of Iranian airspace.

MintJulia · 16/03/2022 11:30

@Blossomtoes

For God’s sake *@Soffit*, can’t we just have a few hours of rejoicing that she’s free and about to be reunited with her husband and daughter?
This.

I hope they tell us when she's taken off and is international airspace.

Wishing her and her family a safe and joyous home-coming.

Thoosa · 16/03/2022 11:31

and then his pathetic apology in the commons afterwards where he didnt actually say he had got it wrong.

Which makes you wonder.

Enormous foot in an enormous mouth, either way. Definitely not helpful.

HELLITHURT · 16/03/2022 11:31

Another one super hopeful, but want's that plane with her on, to have departed and be in the air.

StillTheOneIRunToooooo · 16/03/2022 11:32

Oh my. How must her family be, because I could cry tears of joy for her.

Wishing desperately for it all to work out.