It’s impossible not to wonder at the bravery of Richard Ratcliffe during his hunger strike outside the Foreign Office (After 17 days of hunger strike, I’m still trying to save Nazanin, 9 November). Nothing wonderful, though, about the cowardice and cruelty of Boris Johnson and his advisers over the £400m acknowledged British debt to Iran, which remains unpaid.
Of the debt, a motion from the opposition benches to have this paid immediately could and should be moved, and a vote duly taken in the expectation that a majority of MPs would vote for payment. Meanwhile, arrangements for Nazanin to be returned to the UK should be made without delay, so that a family can be reunited.
A much-discredited House of Commons could, in this way, show some hint of integrity and decency. As Richard Ratcliffe notes, the “debt is a bilateral issue between the UK and Iran” and should be dealt with accordingly.
Bruce Ross-Smith
Headington, Oxford
• Richard Ratcliffe’s article is desperate, and very moving. A government that refuses to pay an acknowledged debt is shameful, even more so when paying it could lead to Nazanin’s release. Ratcliffe is gracious enough not to refer to Boris Johnson’s remarks in 2017 when he was foreign secretary, which, to say the least, were not helpful.
J Peter Greaves
Blackheath, London
• For goodness sake, the government just needs to cough up the debt due to Iran and enable Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe to return to her family (Letters, 10 November). The cost is piddling compared with other expenses. Perhaps those with more money than sense might help – a space trip or two might be sacrificed in order to release her.
Catherine Roome
Staplehurst, Kent
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