Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

[viques]

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.

Agree with previous posters - for one day, after the endless doom and gloom of the past few weeks / 2 years - just celebrate the news that she’s on her way home now. Let happy news be happy news, even for a few hours. Christ knows, we need something.

@Thoosa

If it is the first one, then this will be in one of those files that cannot be opened for 100 years. If that.

We dont tend to admit to espionage even after the fact.

@BoreOfWhabylon

The only flight from Tehran today is Iranian Airlines IA711. It's due to arrive in Heathrow at 12:24.

IF she is on it, I guess we'll be hearing soon.

It would be understandable that no one is saying anything until it's safely landed.

Although I suppose she could be on a different flight, eg chartered.

Or to anothe european country for a connection to London. I don't know if there are flights to other countries but it seems possible.

They’re saying she’s on a chartered flight due to land at RAF Brize Norton at 10.30pm. I’m in tears. Godspeed to them.

I need to pull myself together, I’m on hold to the doctor trying to book a blood test! I can’t be all weepy on them!

BBC are now saying that’s she still with the Iranians . I hope they’re wrong.

[quote BeforeGodAndAllTheFish]@Thoosa

If it is the first one, then this will be in one of those files that cannot be opened for 100 years. If that.

We dont tend to admit to espionage even after the fact.[/quote]
Seems a bit of a stretch to think a spy would be travelling with a one year old baby. No I can't believe a mother would do that.

I’m just listening to Five live and they are still being very cautious in their reporting, still saying she is at the airport.

Apparently landing tonight at 10:30pm at Brize Norton

Yes I agree @Thoosa we should know the truth, but I doubt we ever will. In the meantime I'd rather not hear any mealy-mouthed platitudes from him.

www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2022/mar/16/boris-johnson-ukraine-nato-gulf-visit-pmqs-dominic-raab-angela-rayner-uk-politics-live-latest-updates

Private Gvt Chartered Boeing, landing at Brize Norton.

@TanteRose

Apparently landing tonight at 10:30pm at Brize Norton

Where did you see that @TanteRose?

[quote BeforeGodAndAllTheFish]@Thoosa

If it is the first one, then this will be in one of those files that cannot be opened for 100 years. If that.

We dont tend to admit to espionage even after the fact.[/quote]
The possibility remains that she was teaching journalism, which is an intrinsically benign activity, and the Iranians were representing that as de facto espionage. Teaching can be discussed once she’s free, if it ever happened.

Whatever it was- Holiday, teaching or what have you - I think BJ’s disastrous gaffe merits some attention and analysis once Nazanin is safe.

Well it doesn’t take 10 hours to fly from Iran. So she hasn’t left yet.

I think we still have to be cautious. Hopeful, but cautious.

The flight is from Muscat apparently- I have to confess I don’t know where that is?

Oh I see she is going via Muscat. Have everything crossed for her.

Muscat is in Oman. Its possible she's there now.

@BoreOfWhabylon same link as in the post above yours

Yes, sorry @TanteRose. Cross posted

I hope she is in Muscat soon. The relief she will be feeling once she has left Iran.

Just brilliant, but I won’t breathe a sigh of relief until she has actually touched down!

Muscat is in Oman, a hop across the Persian Gulf from Iran.

The official line is that she is still at the airport under the jurisdiction of the Iranians.

So she's flying into Brize Norton from Oman and the PM is in Saudi today? I hope for both their sakes the plan isn't to bring them back to the UK together. There aren't enough in-flight refreshments in the world to make that conversation go well.

Given that the direct flight which has just arrived at Heathrow left Tehran over six hours ago, I think she's unlikely to be on it. The reporting by both the British and the Iranians seems to have been happening pretty much in real time.

More likely is the private charter owned by Pars Air, which took off in a vaguely north-westerly direction half an hour ago. No destination listed. I'm glad if the UK government has at least done that for the two of them, which also means they can meet their families in private at the airport.

Plane is a Bombardier, currently between Zanjan and Qazvin.

(I spend far too much time on Flight Radar...).

Roll
On 22:30 & N being safe at BN.