A “family selfie” of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, her husband Richard Ratcliffe and daughter Gabriella, 7, was posted by the family’s MP Tulip Siddiq.
In text accompanying the tweeted picture of the three surrounded by daffodils, the Hampstead and Kilburn MP wrote: “So lovely to have uplifting conversations with Richard and Nazanin today.
“They are both relentless in their pursuit of justice and raised the plight of Morad Tahbaz with me. Here I was hoping to sleep for a week …
“Here’s their first family selfie! #NazaninIsFree.”
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori arrive back in the UK
Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori landed at the UK's RAF Brize Norton airbase in the early hours of Thursday on a flight from Oman after being held in Iran for more than five years each.
The British-Iranian dual citizens were released on Wednesday from Iran where they had been held for several years after the UK paid a debt of almost £400 million ($523m) to the regime in Tehran.
They beamed broadly after touching down on British soil and hugged relatives after entering the terminal building.
Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe spoke with Mr Ashoori as they walked across the tarmac, away from the government-chartered Boeing 757.
She was wearing a navy dress and coat, with a bright yellow shawl and matching handbag while Mr Ashoori, who was held for about five years, made a peace sign to reporters as the pair walked side by side from the runway to an airport reception building.
On Thursday, Foreign Office minister James Cleverly posted a photo of the reunited families on Twitter and praised the detainees’ relatives for showing “love and dedication”.
“So great to see Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori back home with their families,” the MP tweeted. “Such love and dedication. Yesterday was a good day at work.”
Mr Cleverly told Sky News that although dealing with Iranian government officials had been “incredibly difficult” the change of power in 2021 had “definitely helped”.
“Because of the huge number of sanctions, quite rightly applied to Iran, all these things become very, very tricky, very, very difficult. But ultimately we never gave up, we continued working, we continued supporting the families.”
He expressed his “admiration” for the families of dual citizens detained in Iran.
Family reunited
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.
She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.
She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.
The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.
She was held in her native country a year later.
Families reunited after years apart
A welcome party including Foreign Secretary Liz Truss waited for Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Mr Ashoori as the pair disembarked.
Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe hugged Gabriella inside the reception building and carryied the little girl in her arms as they were surrounded by members of both families.
Gabriella was heard asking, “Is that mummy?” in a video shared on Instagram by Mr Ashoori’s daughter, Elika, and Gabriella called out to her mother as Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe walked down from the plane.
Later in the video, Mr Ratcliffe shook Mr Ashoori’s hand as he was reunited with his family, who were in tears.
Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe also embraced members of the Ashoori family.
Ms Truss said on Twitter: “Delighted that Nazanin and Anoosheh have landed safely in the UK and are reunited with their families and loved ones. Welcome home.”
Dual citizen Morad Tahbaz remains in Iran
A third dual citizen, Morad Tahbaz, was released from prison in Iran on furlough and Ms Truss said diplomatic efforts aimed at securing his full release would continue.
She said the government would “continue to work intensively” for the freedom of Mr Tahbaz, who although released from prison remains under effective house arrest.
The foreign secretary tweeted: “Pleased Morad Tahbaz has been released on furlough and is reunited with his family in Iran, but this is far from sufficient.
“We will continue to work intensively to secure his departure from Iran.”
“People are in very, very good spirits,” Ms Truss said. “I think it’s been a really difficult 48 hours, the expectation that they would be released, but we weren’t sure right until the last moment.
“It’s been very emotional, but also a really happy moment for the families, and I’m pleased to say that both Nazanin and Anoosheh are in good spirits and they’re safe and well back here in Britain.”
Asked whether Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Mr Ashoori had thanked her following their return, Ms Truss said: “Well, I thank them and I thank the families for how stoical they’ve been during this really, really difficult period.
“And we talked about the process that we’ve been through, the difficult last part of making sure that they were able to leave Iran but it’s so fantastic to welcome them back safe and well here in Britain.”
Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Ashoori fly to Oman
Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 44, and Mr Ashoori, 67, were taken to an airport in Tehran on Wednesday morning to be flown home via Oman.
Oman's Foreign Minister, Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi, said Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Mr Ansoori were extremely happy on their arrival and looking forward to joining their families soon.
He highlighted the productive negotiations that took place to secure their release from Iran and said his country’s “humanitarian purpose and commitment has been at the heart of all of our endeavours”.
“It takes trust at the end of the day to achieve progress. I think that it is trust and strong will by all parties in good faith that has produced this outcome," Sayyid Badr said.
“We are delighted to be able to bring all parties to the table to agree a deal and deliver on it to the letter and the spirit of the deal.”
Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been detained on security charges for six years by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard after a holiday to Iran during which she introduced her daughter to her parents.
Mr Ashoori had been in prison for almost five years while Mr Tahbaz has been held for four.
Richard Ratcliffe 'grateful' for wife's release
Mr Ratcliffe, who has fought a tenacious battle to secure her release, said he was “deeply grateful” and that he and Gabriella were “looking forward to a new life”.
He said that developments in the past few days had been “very up and down” but that the real moment of hope came when his wife's passport was returned on Sunday.
Even then, her family were not sure if the move was part of a “game of incremental cat and mouse".
He said his wife's release means “we can start being a normal family again”.
On Tuesday night, he said Gabriella had asked if her mother was “really coming back tomorrow” and he said he didn't know for sure but can now say “pretty surely she's coming home".
Mr Ratcliffe said that while it was a “happy sunny day”, there would be “plenty of challenges ahead” when the family of three are reunited after six years.
He said he was looking forward to spending “a couple of days [of] peace and quiet somewhere else” on their reunion before returning home to north London.
“The first thing she always wanted to do was [to have] me make a cup of tea.”
He joked the family home “needs a bit of tidying” before his wife makes her return.
Ashoori unsure of his return after prison release
Mr Ashoori was released from prison on Tuesday and taken under guard to his mother's house in Tehran but he still did not know if he would return to the UK.
Mr Ashoori's daughter Elika tweeted a photo of the two reunited families at Brize Norton with the caption: “Happiness in one pic.”
Iran denies debt repayment linked to release of Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Ashoori
Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency quoted Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian as saying that the debt had been paid, but he denied any links between the transfer of the cash and the release of the two British-Iranian prisoners.
British prime minister Boris Johnson, who is on a trip to the UAE, put out a tweet earlier in the day to confirm news of the detainees' release.
“I am very pleased to confirm that the unfair detention of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori in Iran has ended today, and they will now return to the UK,” the prime minister wrote.
“The UK has worked intensively to secure their release and I am delighted they will be reunited with their families and loved ones.”
There had been signs of progress in delicate negotiations between the UK and Iran in recent days.
Ms Siddiq said on Tuesday that Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been handed back her British passport.
Ms Siddiq tweeted on Wednesday that she was “hoping and praying for some more positive news soon".
She later followed it up with a message confirming the release and a selfie taken by Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe on board a plane, saying: “Nazanin is now in the air flying away from six years of hell in Iran.”
Ms Siddiq earlier told Sky News that at the time of interviewing, Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe remained under the control of Iranian authorities but could “smell freedom but was still to grasp it".
She said Ms Truss was the only foreign secretary in office since 2016 who “actually did something” about negotiating Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe's release and paying the debt Britain owes to Iran.
Mariam Claren, whose German-Iranian mother Nahid Taghavi remains in Tehran’s Evin jail, said the apparent release of the two Britons was a “bittersweet” moment for the families of those left behind.
“I’m so happy for Richard [Ratcliffe], Sherry [Mr Ashoori's wife] and Elika [his daughter], but there are others left behind,” she said.
Six years of detention
Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe's ordeal began in April 2016 when she was detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard at Imam Khomeini Airport after a holiday to her country of birth. She had been visiting her parents in the capital to introduce them to her daughter, Gabriella.
Authorities accused her of plotting to overthrow the Iranian government, which she repeatedly denied.
The little girl lived with her grandparents for three years while her mother, an aid worker, was detained in Evin prison before returning to London to live with her father in October 2019.
Solitary confinement for British-Iranian engineer
Mr Ashoori, a retired civil engineer, was arrested in 2017 during a visit to Tehran and had been living in the UK for 20 years when he returned to his homeland to see his mother.
Authorities accused him of spying for Israel, Iran’s arch-enemy, and sentenced him to 10 years in prison, plus an extra two for “illicitly acquiring money".
His family have said that during his detention, Mr Ashoori had been kept in solitary confinement and subjected to coercive and abusive interrogations without a lawyer present. Relatives said officials made threats towards his family and forced him to give a confession.
'Mummy might be coming home'
Ms Siddiq said she had spoken to Mr Ratcliffe who said Gabriella was excited about the prospect of being reunited with her mother, two and a half years after she last saw her in Iran.
He explained how his wife was under the control of the Iranian authorities when she arrived at the airport on Wednesday morning.
Ms Siddiq earlier told Sky News: “As you can imagine, Richard is very emotional … There’s been so many false dawns.
“There’s so many times where we’ve heard, 'Prepare for Nazanin to be home next week, or get prepared, she is coming imminently'. Well none of that happened. But we haven’t at any point had her at the airport with her British passport in her hand.
“I am feeling very emotional as well thinking about the fact that Nazanin might be coming home. But I think with Richard, he wants to be cautious because he doesn’t want to be let down again after campaigning for his wife, going on hunger strike, constantly lobbying.”
She said Mr Ratcliffe had informed Gabriella of the developments but had been “trying to manage her expectations just in case mummy doesn’t come home”.
“All I can hear from Gabriella is plans about Peppa Pig Land and Legoland, and which amusement park she’s going to,” Ms Siddiq said.
“She’s a 7-year-old girl, that’s how she thinks, so she’s just about how she’s going to show mummy her new school, how she’s going to take her to their assembly.
"It’s all those things that were missed, the anniversaries, the birthdays, the special occasions, the Christmases, I think they’re just going to have to make up for all of that.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Checks continue
A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.
Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.
Funk Wav Bounces Vol.1
Calvin Harris
Columbia
A Prayer Before Dawn
Director: Jean-Stephane Sauvaire
Starring: Joe Cole, Somluck Kamsing, Panya Yimmumphai
Three stars
Match info:
Burnley 0
Manchester United 2
Lukaku (22', 44')
Red card: Marcus Rashford (Man United)
Man of the match: Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
New schools in Dubai
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
What is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
DUBAI WORLD CUP RACE CARD
6.30pm Meydan Classic Trial US$100,000 (Turf) 1,400m
7.05pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,400m
7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas Group Three $250,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
8.15pm Dubai Sprint Listed Handicap $175,000 (T) 1,200m
8.50pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 Group Two $450,000 (D) 1,900m
9.25pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,800m
10pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,400m
The National selections
6.30pm Well Of Wisdom
7.05pm Summrghand
7.40pm Laser Show
8.15pm Angel Alexander
8.50pm Benbatl
9.25pm Art Du Val
10pm: Beyond Reason
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
MATCH INFO
Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
What: India v Afghanistan, first Test
When: Starts Thursday
Where: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengalaru
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
MATCH INFO
West Ham United 2 (Antonio 73', Ogbonna 90 5')
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 36', Moura 42', Kane 49')
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company Profile
Founders: Tamara Hachem and Yazid Erman
Based: Dubai
Launched: September 2019
Sector: health technology
Stage: seed
Investors: Oman Technology Fund, angel investor and grants from Sharjah's Sheraa and Ma'an Abu Dhabi
Hotel Data Cloud profile
Date started: June 2016
Founders: Gregor Amon and Kevin Czok
Based: Dubai
Sector: Travel Tech
Size: 10 employees
Funding: $350,000 (Dh1.3 million)
Investors: five angel investors (undisclosed except for Amar Shubar)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: Omania, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Conditions (PA) Dh85,000 1,600m
Winner: Brehaan, Richard Mullen, Ana Mendez
6pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m
Winner: Craving, Connor Beasley, Simon Crisford
6.30pm: The President’s Cup Prep (PA) Dh100,000 2,200m
Winner: Rmmas, Tadhg O’Shea, Jean de Roualle
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Dh70,000 1,200m
Winner: Dahess D’Arabie, Connor Beasley, Helal Al Alawi
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Fertile De Croate, Sam Hitchcott, Ibrahim Aseel
Company%20Profile
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2017%20RESULTS%3A%20FRENCH%20VOTERS%20IN%20UK
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The%20specs
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Summer special
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Family reunited
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.
She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.
She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.
The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.
She was held in her native country a year later.
