Khatibzadeh:

Settlement of UK’s debt to Iran not link to any issue

TEHRAN (Defapress) - Iran's frozen assets in the UK were restored with dignity and without any connection to any issue, the Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson said, dismissing claims that the money is in the position of the Swiss government.

News ID: 83960

Date: 18 March 2022 - 03:47

The UK owed Iran almost £400 million over an upfront payment made by the former Shah of Iran to Britain to buy 1,750 Chieftain tanks and other military vehicles, Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Thursday.

After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, London would refuse to pay its debt under various pretexts such as sanctions.

After four decades and through an intensive negotiation process, the Islamic Republic of Iran received its frozen asset from the UK government, the Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson said.

The rights of the honorable people of Iran were restored from Britain and transferred to the country's treasury, he added.

He also stressed that the money is in the definitive and complete possession of Iran, adding that the way of spending it will be completely subject to the decision of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The British side or no other party has the right to intervene in this matter, he added.

The assets of the Iranian people have been restored with dignity and without any connection to any other issue, he said, dismissing some claims that the money is in the position of the Swiss government.

Khatibzadeh concluded his remarks by saying, “I reiterate that from the viewpoint of Iran, there is no relationship between Britain’s payback of its debt to the Islamic Republic and the freedom of the prisoners, as Iran and the UK reached an agreement on the settlement of London’s debt to Tehran last summer, and they signed a document to this end, which, unfortunately, the UK government refused to abide by the agreement.”

Nazanin Zaghari and Anousheh Ashouri who had been jailed in Iran for 6 years on espionage charges were released on Wednesday by Iranian judicial authorities and were handed over to British authorities and flew to the UK on board a plane.