A senior Iranian government source said the money was frozen in Oman and the problem was not with the UK government. One report said only 1 1 million had been transferred to Tehran. The United Kingdom has stipulated that the money be used for humanitarian purposes only, but this was not repeated in a statement issued by the Iranian government at the time. Oman acted as a mediator in the talks that led to the transfer of the long-term debt at the time of the release of the two detainees in the United Kingdom on March 17. Both sides have argued that 40-year debt settlement and release are unrelated, but many have said it is a diplomatic fantasy. The United Kingdom declined to comment immediately on Iranian media reports, but noted earlier statements by the UK and Iranian governments that the debt had been paid in interest. Asked by the Iranian newspaper Entekhab, Mahmoud Abbaszadeh Meshkini, a spokesman for the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said the money was blocked. “We are cooperating with the countries of the region in some way and some neighboring countries are consulting and mediating to receive our requests,” he said. He said it was important to release the money owed. The extent of the suspension is unclear and it is unknown whether it is due to a banking problem in Oman or some other issue, such as the limits set on the use of money by the British. The State Department said the payment “was made in full compliance with British and international sanctions and all legal obligations.” The Iranian government also said at the time that it “had full authority and freedom over how to spend its financial resources.” There have been speculations that the United Kingdom may withhold the full release of the funds because it believes Iran has not sided with the negotiated deal that should have allowed a third British-Iranian, Morad Tahbaz, to leave indefinitely. to his family. house in Tehran, instead of asking him to stay in jail. But the United Kingdom has always said that there is no link between debt and the release of prisoners, so it would be difficult for London to make such an explicit link now. Tabaz went on a hunger strike nine days after his return to prison, but his future seems to be linked to dead-end wider talks on reviving the Iran nuclear deal in Vienna. Tabhaz also has US citizenship and the Iranians appeared reluctant to release him as part of the deal that led to the release of Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Ashoori. Secretary of State Liz Truss believed that as a compromise she had reached an agreement that Tabhaz, an environmentalist arrested in January 2018 and jailed for 10 years, would be released from prison on leave. However, he returned to prison after just two days of release. The Iranians said there may have been a misunderstanding within his family. The UK Foreign Affairs Committee is set to investigate how the UK handled the detainees’ case, but it is not yet clear how much it will look at hostage-taking in general or the specific handling of past consular affairs by ministers and employees. Zaghari-Ratcliffe was held in Iran for six years. Ashoori was held in Evin Prison for almost five years. Both had been convicted of espionage by Iranian revolutionary courts, a charge they denied.
