PHOTO: British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her daughter Gabriella


Iran’s judiciary has announced the indictment of three dual-national detainees, as the husband of one of them says that the prisoners are “international bargaining chips”.

Listen to BBC interview with Richard Ratcliffe

Tehran Prosecutor General Abbas Jafari Doulatabadi did not list the charges against Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian charity worker; Homa Hoodfar, Canadian-Iranian academic; and Siamak Namazi, an Iranian-American businessman. He also said Nizar Zaka, a Lebanese citizen working on contract for the US State Department, had been indicted.

Namazi and Zaka were held last autumn in a wave of arrests by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, while Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who works for the London-based Thomson Reuters Foundation, was seized in April as she was boarding a flight back to the UK with her two-year-old daughter.

Iranian media have reported that the three are suspected of collaborating with foreign powers seeking the overthrow of the Islamic Republic, and Namazi’s lawyer said his client has been accused of “working with a hostile power”, the US.

Other dual nationals have been seized this month. Candian-Iranian sculptor and painter Parviz Tanavoli was held as he was about to fly to London for a book launch and lecture at the British museum. He was subsequently accused of “causing confusion in the public mind” and “spreading lies” through his sculptures.

No evidence has been produced against any of the detainees.

Namazi’s 80-year-old father Baquer was arrested in February when he came to Iran seeking his son’s release. The Tehran prosecutor said nothing about his case.

The case of Namazi, an executive with the oil company Crescent, has raised concerns among businessmen considering the renewal of trade and investment with Iran.

An outspoken critic of US sanctions on Iran, Namazi was visiting relatives in Iran last autumn. However, the Revolutionary Guards, who have extensive holdings in Iran’s energy sector, have been wary of any foreign involvement in the post-sanctions Islamic Republic.

BAQUER AND SIAMAK NAMAZI

Baquer and Siamak Namazi

Iran has held a series of dual nationals in recent years, sometimes releasing them in conjunction with desired changes in international relations. As the nuclear deal was implemented in January, Tehran released four dual-national detainees.

Among the four was Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, who had been held since July 2014.

“Pawns” in Domestic and International Game

Speaking with the BBC on Tuesday, the 100th day of his wife’s detention, Richard Ratcliffe, said the prisoners have been caught up in Iran’s domestic and foreign politics.

The Revolutionary Guards have been wary of the approach of the centrist Rouhani Government, which has also clashed with Iranian hardliners over a series of political and social issues since 2013.

Guards commander Mohammad Ali Jafari has warned of the threat of “sedition” within Iran, saying that it is an even greater danger than the 1980s Iran-Iraq War. His rhetoric has been bolstered by the Supreme Leader, who has repeatedly declared US, British, and Iranian plots to overthrow the regime.

See Iran Daily, July 6: Supreme Leader — “US, Britain, & Israel Behind Terrorist Attacks”

At the same time, Ayatollah Khamenei and Iranian officials have been stepping up pressure over the implementation of the July 2015 nuclear deal. The Supreme Leader has chided a “dishonest” US, claiming that it is breaking the agreement by maintaining sanctions. Further tension has been caused by the opposition of Washington and European allies to Iran’s continued testing of ballistic missiles.

See Iran Daily, July 11: “We Will Severely Confront Any Move Over Our Missiles”

President Rouhani has counted on the lifting of sanctions and foreign investment for the recovery of a long-crippled Iranian economy. However, the Supreme Leader has chided the President, saying that Iran should not rush to obtain European investment and ruling out engagement with the US.

Ayatollah Khamenei has cautioned that he could take over economic planning to implement his vision of a “Resistance Economy” for self-sufficiency.

A Petition to the UK Government

The family and friends of Nazenin-Ratcliffe are presenting a petition to the UK Government today, calling for greater efforts for her release.

The charity worker’s infant daughter, whose passport has been confiscated, is still with her grandmother in Tehran.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said it was doing “all we can on this case”:

However, Iran does not recognise dual nationality and therefore does not grant access to dual nationals.

We have raised this case repeatedly and at the highest levels and will continue to do so at every available opportunity.