Boris Johnson raises case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in 'worthwhile' Iran trip

Boris Johnson has had a "worthwhile visit" to Iran as he made the case for the release of jailed Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

The Foreign Secretary held nearly an hour of talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran at the end of a three-day tour of the Middle East.

They "both spoke forthrightly" and "agreed on the need to make progress in all areas", according to the Foreign Office.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is serving a five-year jail term after she was accused of trying to topple the Iranian government.

She denies the charges, and says she was in Iran to visit relatives with her daughter when she was arrested in 2013.

She was due to face more charges in court on Sunday afternoon, but her case has now been postponed.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: "After meeting Dr Salehi, Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Association, the Foreign Secretary concluded his visit to Iran with a meeting with President Rouhani.

"In both meetings the Foreign Secretary discussed the full range of regional and bilateral issues, including banking matters and our concerns about the consular cases of dual nationals.

"During nearly an hour of talks with President Rouhani, both spoke forthrightly about the obstacles in the relationship and agreed on the need to make progress in all areas.

"It has been a worthwhile visit and we leave with a sense that both sides want to keep up the momentum to resolve the difficult issues in the bilateral relationship and preserve the nuclear deal."

Mr Johnson's meeting with Mr Rouhani was seen as a positive move, considering the usually difficult relations with the country.

Over the course of his visit, Mr Johnson reiterated Britain's support for a 2015 nuclear deal between world powers and Iran aimed at curbing Tehran's disputed uranium enrichment programme.

The deal is under threat after President Donald Trump called it the "worst and most one-sided" deal the US has signed.

On Saturday Mr Johnson and his Iranian counterpart, Mohammed Javad Zarif, met for two hours , discussing "consular cases of dual nationals", though Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's case was not mentioned specifically.

According to her husband Richard Ratcliffe, on Sunday she could face further charges of spreading propaganda, which carry an additional sentence of 16 years.

Mr Ratcliffe welcomed news of Mr Johnson's meetings in Tehran.

"I'm really pleased that he met with foreign minister Zarif, that it lasted for a couple of hours and that it was both frank and constructive," he told Sky News on Saturday.

"I think in our case a frank discussion and a constructive one can only be a good thing."

The Government is considering repaying around £400m from a pre-1979 arms deal, but both sides say it is not to do with Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

However, the US made a similar payment as Iran released four of its citizens in 2016.