Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe Given Diplomatic Protection

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced that charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe will be given “diplomatic protection”, in an unprecedented Foreign Office move. The protection raises the issue of Nazanin’s imprisonment as an issue between Iran and the UK as states, rather than at the consular level. While it doesn’t go as far as giving her diplomatic immunity which could secure her release, it is considered a strong move and a considerable escalation of the issue. Nazanin was jailed in 2016 in Tehran, after the Iranian government accused her of spying, an accusation she strongly denies.