after yea rs of after years of unfed attention, nazanin zaghari ratcliffe and anoosheh ashoori have this afternoon finally been allowed to board a plane and leave the country. they are on their way home. they will land in the uk later today and they will be reunited with their families. morad tahbaz has also been released from prison on furlough boston i know that the whole house and the whole country will rejoice at this news. and will share in relief that their horrendous ordeal is over. nazanin was held in iran for almost six years, and anoosheh ashoori almost five. morad tahbaz has been in prison forfour. their the result of result of years of tenacious british diplomacy. i want to thank our friends for their help in bringing our national home. i pay tribute to the efforts of many in
passport this week. it s been reported that the the uk government paid an outstanding debt to tehran ahead of the release. our diplomatic correspondent caroline hawley has more. it is almost six years since they were last together as a family. but now a reunion is just hours away. this was the moment, in april 2016, when nazanin was arrested at tehran airport where she was trying to leave the country trying to get back after visiting her parents. this morning she was brought back to the airport. with fellow british national anoosheh ashoori, who has also spent years injail. this is her on the plane, with a smile on herface. since her arrest, nazanin has endured solitary confinement, psychological torture and the agony of separation from her daughter. she served a five
this is bbc news. i m rebecca jones. the headlines: heading back to the uk nazanin zaghari ratcliffe the british iranian woman detained in iran since 2016 has been freed. her husband richard has campaigned tirelessly for her release, including going on hunger strike. he gave this reaction, alongside their daughter. the smile on her face the smile on herface in the smile on her face in that photograph. it will be lovely to see her and we have chosen which toys we are taking and we are looking forward to being reunited. another british iranian, anoosheh ashoori, detained for more than four years, is also leaving tehran, bound for the uk. volodymyr zelensky makes an historic address to the us congress, calling on american fighterjets to impose a no fly zone
issues of serious disagreement between our two countries. we will continue to stand up for our interests and the freedom and security of our nationals wherever they are. and for an end to arbitrary detention. but for now, to nazanin and anoosheh ashoori, i am pleased that in just a few hours time, we will be able to say welcome home. i commend this statement to the house. shadow foreign secretary david lammy. mr speaker, ithank the foreign secretary for advanced site of the statement. mr speaker, for too long the iranian government have been depriving british nationals of their been depriving british nationals of thei , , ., , their liberty, to use them as olitical their liberty, to use them as political bargaining - their liberty, to use them as political bargaining chips. i their liberty, to use them as i political bargaining chips. nazanin zaghari ratcliffe political bargaining chips. nazanin zaghari ratcliffe has political bargaining chips. nazanin zaghari ratcliffe has been-