Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe yet to be tested for coronavirus, husband says
Richard Ratcliffe says claims from Iran that his wife has been tested and confirmed negative for COVID-19 are not true.
Monday 2 March 2020 20:48, UK
Jailed British-Iranian mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has yet to be tested for coronavirus, despite showing symptoms of the illness, her husband has said.
Richard Ratcliffe said the Iranian ministry of foreign affairs had told the Foreign Office (FCO) that his wife had been tested and confirmed negative for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
But Mr Ratcliffe said she had confirmed this had not happened and he had told the FCO about this.
He hit out at a government minister over his "disingenuous" update to MPs on Monday.
Foreign Office minister Nigel Adams told the Commons: "I think things may have moved on a little bit today in terms of the testing with Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
"Clearly we are unable to comment on any medical assessments without the permission of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe."
Mr Adams said the government had been in touch with Mr Ratcliffe, who was in the public gallery with their daughter Gabriella, and was in "close contact" with Tehran to lobby for a "temporary release on medical grounds".
But speaking afterwards to the Press Association, Mr Ratcliffe said he viewed Mr Adams' words as "disingenuous".
"It is irresponsible of the minister to hint at something he knows not to be true," he said, referring to comments from Mr Adams on the testing.
The comments from the minister came during an urgent question asked by Labour's Tulip Siddiq.
She said Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's life "hangs in the balance" and called on the government to act urgently to help her.
Mr Adams reiterated that she should be released and outlined the humanitarian support Britain has given to Iran to respond to the outbreak of COVID-19.
Jeremy Hunt, the former foreign secretary, said the situation demonstrated the "moral bankruptcy of Iran's position", with a British citizen being held "hostage" in a prison where she is "subject to catching potentially a very dangerous disease".
:: Listen to the Daily podcast on , , ,
He asked if Boris Johnson or Dominic Raab, his successor as foreign secretary, had been in contact with Iran's president to call for Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe to be tested alongside other dual nationals.
"It is absolutely essential, if they have not, that they start to do that," Mr Hunt added.
Mr Adams said in response: "We have been engaging in fact today with the deputy foreign minister and I can assure him that our ambassador is working on behalf of all our dual nationals in that country."
There are currently no confirmed cases at the Iranian prison where Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is being held.
But the virus has spread rapidly across the country, infecting almost 1,000 people and killing 54.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested at Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport while travelling to introduce Gabriella to her parents in 2016.
She was sentenced to five years in jail over claims of plotting to overthrow Iran's government, which she denies.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was later given diplomatic protection by the British government, which argues that Iran has failed to meet its obligations under international law.