Taraneh Tahbaz, left, sister of detained Iranian-American Morad Tahbaz, pleads for his release. Reuters
Taraneh Tahbaz, left, sister of detained Iranian-American Morad Tahbaz, pleads for his release. Reuters
Taraneh Tahbaz, left, sister of detained Iranian-American Morad Tahbaz, pleads for his release. Reuters
Taraneh Tahbaz, left, sister of detained Iranian-American Morad Tahbaz, pleads for his release. Reuters

Sister of Iranian-American Morad Tahbaz pleads for his release after he goes back to jail


Nicky Harley
  • English
  • Arabic

The sister of an Iranian-American environmentalist made a plea for his release after two dual citizens including British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe were allowed to leave the country this week.

Morad Tahbaz, who also holds British citizenship, was taken back to prison on Friday after being released on furlough on Wednesday.

He had been allowed to leave prison four years into a 10-year sentence under the agreement that led to Britain settling a £400 million ($527.2m) arms debt from the 1970s. But he was told he must remain in Iran as part of the deal.

On Saturday, his sister Taraneh Tahbaz said he had been returned to prison.

His family was said to be “devastated” that he had not been allowed to leave.

A spokesman for British Foreign & Commonwealth Office said it had been told by Iran that Mr Tahbaz, 66, had been taken back to Evin prison, where an ankle bracelet would be fitted, and that he would be allowed out in the coming hours.

“There are so many political things going on in the world that his case might just be swept under the rug,” Ms Tahbaz said.

“We are hoping that the American authorities will react. We are hoping that British authorities will also come forward and help out because he is a British subject, too, or are they only listening to the Iranians who say that he is an American?”

Mr Tahbaz was arrested in 2018 and sentenced to 10 years in prison for “assembly and collusion against Iran’s national security” and working for the US as a spy.

British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was freed from Iran, gestures after landing at RAF Brize Norton military airbase in Brize Norton, Britain, March 17, 2022. Leon Neal / Pool via REUTERS
British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was freed from Iran, gestures after landing at RAF Brize Norton military airbase in Brize Norton, Britain, March 17, 2022. Leon Neal / Pool via REUTERS

On Thursday, prisoners Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 43, and Anoosheh Ashoori, 67, were returned to the UK to be reunited with their families.

Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in 2016 and spent most of the time since then in prison.

Mr Ashoori received a 10-year sentence in 2019.

Ms Tahbaz said her brother had cancer and had contracted the coronavirus twice.

“My brother’s condition is very precarious right now, and I urge and plea that the American authorities put all their efforts behind getting him out,” she said.

“If the UK authorities can bring themselves to help, it would do a great deal.”

The Iranians claimed Mr Tahbaz’s US citizenship made his case more complicated, UK Minister James Cleverly said.

Mr Tahbaz was part of a group of conservationists from the Tehran-based Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation, which had been licensed to operate in Iran by the government in 2018.

A senior figure from the group died while interrogations were held at Evin prison in Tehran, said the US-based Centre for Human Rights in Iran.

They were convicted after a case based partly on a retracted forced confession.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
Essentials

The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours 
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance

Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.

Stat of the day - 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.

The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227 for four at the close.

Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

Price: From Dh439,000

Available: Now

BABYLON
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Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home. 

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ

Price, base: Dh1,731,672

Engine: 6.5-litre V12

Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm

Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm

Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km

New schools in Dubai
Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The%20specs
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Bugatti Chiron Super Sport - the specs:

Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16 

Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto 

Power: 1,600hp

Torque: 1,600Nm

0-100kph in 2.4seconds

0-200kph in 5.8 seconds

0-300kph in 12.1 seconds

Top speed: 440kph

Price: Dh13,200,000

Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport - the specs:

Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16 

Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto 

Power: 1,500hp

Torque: 1,600Nm

0-100kph in 2.3 seconds

0-200kph in 5.5 seconds

0-300kph in 11.8 seconds

Top speed: 350kph

Price: Dh13,600,000

Mumbai Indians 213/6 (20 ov)

Royal Challengers Bangalore 167/8 (20 ov)

If you go

The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.

The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.

UAE v Gibraltar

What: International friendly

When: 7pm kick off

Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City

Admission: Free

Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page

UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)

Racecard
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ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

Federer's 19 grand slam titles

Australian Open (5 titles) - 2004 bt Marat Safin; 2006 bt Marcos Baghdatis; 2007 bt Fernando Gonzalez; 2010 bt Andy Murray; 2017 bt Rafael Nadal

French Open (1 title) - 2009 bt Robin Soderling

Wimbledon (8 titles) - 2003 bt Mark Philippoussis; 2004 bt Andy Roddick; 2005 bt Andy Roddick; 2006 bt Rafael Nadal; 2007 bt Rafael Nadal; 2009 bt Andy Roddick; 2012 bt Andy Murray; 2017 bt Marin Cilic

US Open (5 titles) - 2004 bt Lleyton Hewitt; 2005 bt Andre Agassi; 2006 bt Andy Roddick; 2007 bt Novak Djokovic; 2008 bt Andy Murray

Updated: March 20, 2022, 5:24 PM`