[News] Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

[Triggaaar]

Absolutely delighted for Nazanin and her family, however, if the British taxpayers had just stumped up 400 million quid to get me out of a prison cell, I would like to think I’d be a little more grateful.

Grateful? The only reason she was imprisoned was because of a debt we hadn't paid. And it's not British taxpayers stumping up the £400m, it's money Iran had paid us, and we were returning.

Is it just that you somehow didn't realise that, or something else?

Having seen her press conference earlier, she did not seem to blame Iran for her imprisonment.

It was very clear she did, and when asked questions about what it was like, she said she'd rather not answer, and that it would affect her for the rest of her life.

 

[tricky]

Some bizarre comments on here, the issue with the money was at first UK gov couldn't repay due to sanctions, then on going issue has been about the amount of interest Iran wanted adding to the original amount. Certainly wasn't cut and dry. I'm so glad those three are back. Do find it strange that you'd leave family over there in a country which can treat people so badly

Sent from my Redmi Note 8T using Tapatalk

 

[A1X]

So I see it took all of two days for some people to decide actually she’s the real bad guy in this story

 

[clapham_gull]

... if the British taxpayers had just stumped up 400 million quid to get me out of a prison cell.

 

[1066familyman]

If the right wingers on this thread cared to listen to the programme on Radio 4 that I posted a link to, I think it would be hard to label her as 'ungrateful' to the British taxpayer, and especially to the British Government. Why should she be!

She is yet another totally innocent victim in the same old Imperialist game of chess that is actively involved in regime change throughout the world.

This case essentially dates back to 1979 and the popular overthrow of The Shah of Iran. Although you can obviously go back further to 1971 and the initial UK arms deals. But the real legacy begins before that with the US/UK initiated 1953 coup d'état that overthrew the democratically elected Prime Minister,
Mosaddegh, bringing the last Shah of Iran to power.

Before that of course you need to look into the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. Now known as BP by the way.

But it seems convenient for some on here, especially self professed 'bleeding heart Socialists' just to concentrate on blaming BJ for a gaff a couple of years ago that effectively handed Nazanin a longer 'sentence', whilst just giving a cursory nod to 1979 and no mention at all of US/UK Imperialism that continues to this day around the world.

 

[clapham_gull]

But the real legacy begins before that with the US/UK initiated 1953 coup d'état that overthrew the democratically elected Prime Minister, Mosaddegh, bringing the last Shah of Iran to power.

Operation Ajax, they don't teach you that in school.

Not sure what your "bleeding heart socialist rant" is all about though, the Shah's regime used to torture them.

All the mince for brains club on here needs to know is that Iran did have democracy of sorts but the UK and USA blew it out the water and it's been a basket case ever since.

 

[1066familyman]

Operation Ajax, they don't teach you that in school.

Well it certainly wasn't Total Football that's for sure.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

I thought she came across as remarkably un-bitter. She didn't talk about her incarceration at all (she didn't want to) and any lack of criticism of Iran was probably wise considering she has family there. She thanked lots of people and the only criticism she made was in asking why, if this is what it took to get her released, it took 6 years. She didn't come across as ungrateful at all, quite the opposite in fact.

She would have been perfectly entitled to have a go at the oaf Johnson for landing her in the shite with Iran with his ill-informed suggestion when he was Foreign Secretary that she was training journalists. As for her appearance before the cameras, I can see why her old man was so keen to get her back. Dignified, articulate and intelligent - and the photos that were used while she was incarcerated didn't do her justice.

 

[Miximate]

Delighted that she is back and agree is an extremely intelligent and articulate in her delivery. Suspect she will move forward on to bigger things becoming an excellent spokesperson for human rights etc. Regretfully, will probably move on from her marriage to Richard as will be incredibly difficult to rebuild from six years apart and now on different paths. I hope I’m wrong on the second point (for the sake of their daughter).

 

[1066familyman]

Some bizarre comments on here, the issue with the money was at first UK gov couldn't repay due to sanctions, then on going issue has been about the amount of interest Iran wanted adding to the original amount. Certainly wasn't cut and dry. I'm so glad those three are back. Do find it strange that you'd leave family over there in a country which can treat people so badly

Sent from my Redmi Note 8T using Tapatalk

No it wasn't. The UK had stalled on paying back what was owed long long before sanctions joined in with the Imperialist game.

 

[1066familyman]

Operation Ajax, they don't teach you that in school.

Not sure what your "bleeding heart socialist rant" is all about though, the Shah's regime used to torture them.

All the mince for brains club on here needs to know is that Iran did have democracy of sorts but the UK and USA blew it out the water and it's been a basket case ever since.

My bleeding heart Socialist rant had nothing whatsoever to do with Iranians. I know full well what the Shah was about. As did the UK/US of course.

It was a personal rant regarding this forum as it happens that I allowed to boil over. It's a bit obscure, and I shouldn't really have included it.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Delighted that she is back and agree is an extremely intelligent and articulate in her delivery. Suspect she will move forward on to bigger things becoming an excellent spokesperson for human rights etc. Regretfully, will probably move on from her marriage to Richard as will be incredibly difficult to rebuild from six years apart and now on different paths. I hope I’m wrong on the second point (for the sake of their daughter).

You are speculating on something you can't possibly know anything about

 

[wellquickwoody]

Imagine thinking someone who would have been out years ago but for our current Prime .

Johnson is a buffoon, and self centred to boot, the sooner he is gone the better.

But let’s put a little balance on this rather than blame BJ ad nauseum

The bill has been outstanding since the 70’s, not BJs fault.
The bill has not been paid by successive governments, foreign secretaries and prime ministers, not BJs fault.
Iran suddenly took this woman, and others, hostage on the pretext of this ‘£400 million bill’, not BJs fault. Wonder what the original sum was?
British foreign policy has been not to deal with hostage takers since I was a child, and maybe before, not BJs fault.

But…….under whose watch has the bill been paid? Boris Johnson.

But hey, don’t let the truth stand in the way of a good witch-hunt huh?

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

No it wasn't. The UK had stalled on paying back what was owed long long before sanctions joined in with the Imperialist game.

Correct. It was a deal with the Shah. When the Shah was deposed (1979) we sneakily decided to renege on a deal and keep several hundered million quid of Iranian money. "The debt relates to Iran’s order of 1,750 Chieftain tanks and other vehicles that ultimately was not fulfilled by the UK after Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was overthrown in the Iranian revolution and replaced by an Islamic Republic. The £400m was paid upfront and almost none of the tanks were delivered."

That's all fine and good, but it means we would have to either commit to repaying the money or run the risk of reprisals. In typical modern English fashion, with utter FO cluelessness (which epitomises our post colonial wherewithal) we did neither. Eventually this was bound to come back and bite us on the bum.

 

[drew]

Johnson is a buffoon, and self centred to boot, the sooner he is gone the better.

But let’s put a little balance on this rather than blame BJ ad nauseum

The bill has been outstanding since the 70’s, not BJs fault.
The bill has not been paid by successive governments, foreign secretaries and prime ministers, not BJs fault.
Iran suddenly took this woman, and others, hostage on the pretext of this ‘£400 million bill’, not BJs fault. Wonder what the original sum was?
British foreign policy has been not to deal with hostage takers since I was a child, and maybe before, not BJs fault.

But…….under whose watch has the bill been paid? Boris Johnson.

But hey, don’t let the truth stand in the way of a good witch-hunt huh?

Nice try! Yes, previous governments could have paid however when the international court ruled in Iran's favour in 2009, sanctions meant it couldn't be paid without breaking the law.
A delegation from Iran to discuss the debt were locked up as soon as they arrived in the UK, that didn't help.
Nazanin was not being held when other governments were in power.
Johnson made comments about her that were detrimental to her case demonstrating how stupid he is when it comes to diplomacy.

But you crack on with your love affair.

 

[wellquickwoody]

Nice try! Yes, previous governments could have paid however when the international court ruled in Iran's favour in 2009, sanctions meant it couldn't be paid without breaking the law.
A delegation from Iran to discuss the debt were locked up as soon as they arrived in the UK, that didn't help.
Nazanin was not being held when other governments were in power.
Johnson made comments about her that were detrimental to her case demonstrating how stupid he is when it comes to diplomacy.

But you crack on with your love affair.

So which part of what I said was untrue?

 

[Baker lite]

So I see it took all of two days for some people to decide actually she’s the real bad guy in this story

Not at all, a quite remarkable woman, outstanding resilience, I would have liked her to thank Liz Truss in particular for the work she has done to secure her release and also show some gratitude to the British taxpayers that stumped up 400 million quid. It was not the British Government that incarcerated her, it was the tyrannical regime in Iran.

 

[1066familyman]

Not at all, a quite remarkable woman, outstanding resilience, I would have liked her to thank Liz Truss in particular for the work she has done to secure her release and also show some gratitude to the British taxpayers that stumped up 400 million quid. It was not the British Government that incarcerated her, it was the tyrannical regime in Iran.

Yes, nice.

Do you realise that
were it not for her determined and loving husband she, and others, would still not be free?

Our Government even tried gaslighting him when he told them he was going public with the back story. Successive Governments had a secrecy order on it that eventually got overturned after an application from The Sunday Times.


I think she knows full well the ones she really owes thanks to.

 

[Justice]

Not at all, a quite remarkable woman, outstanding resilience, I would have liked her to thank Liz Truss in particular for the work she has done to secure her release and also show some gratitude to the British taxpayers that stumped up 400 million quid. It was not the British Government that incarcerated her, it was the tyrannical regime in Iran.

Tax payers money

 

[1066familyman]

Correct. It was a deal with the Shah. When the Shah was deposed (1979) we sneakily decided to renege on a deal and keep several hundered million quid of Iranian money. "The debt relates to Iran’s order of 1,750 Chieftain tanks and other vehicles that ultimately was not fulfilled by the UK after Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was overthrown in the Iranian revolution and replaced by an Islamic Republic. The £400m was paid upfront and almost none of the tanks were delivered."

That's all fine and good, but it means we would have to either commit to repaying the money or run the risk of reprisals. In typical modern English fashion, with utter FO cluelessness (which epitomises our post colonial wherewithal) we did neither. Eventually this was bound to come back and bite us on the bum.

Ooh, thank you. Do I get a tick for my homework Sir?

FFS! Have a look at yourself.