Family concern for Iran prisoner Nazanin case after Boris Johnson remark

The family of a British-Iranian mother held in Iran fear her prison sentence could be increased after "off the cuff" remarks made by the foreign secretary.

Boris Johnson told a Commons committee that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was arrested at Tehran Airport in 2016, was "teaching people journalism".

But he has since apologised, insisting she was on holiday, and her husband spoke to Mr Johnson on Sunday.

Her Torfaen-based sister-in-law fears the comments could be used against her.

Dr Rebecca Ratcliffe, a GP in Cwmbran, said the foreign secretary's remarks "have been picked up and widely promoted" in Iran's national TV and media.

"He has fed into their propaganda and it could easily be used against her in a forthcoming trial," she added.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has called for Mr Johnson to resign following his comments.

But environment secretary Michael Gove said Iran, not Mr Johnson, should be the focus of criticism,

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is currently serving a five-year sentence after Iran tried her on charges of trying to overthrow the government.

She denies all the allegations against her but lost her final appeal in April 2017.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe worked for the Thomson Reuters Foundation and BBC Media Action (the corporation's international development charity), but insisted the 2016 visit was for her daughter to meet her grandparents.

She has since faced two more charges relating to an accusation of plotting to topple the regime in Tehran.

Mr Johnson was asked to correct his "serious mistake" and subsequently apologised and called the Iranian foreign minister, Javad Zarif, to clarify his comments.

Mr Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband Richard spoke to the foreign secretary on Sunday and wants to accompanying Mr Johnson on his next visit to Iran.

"The events of the last week have been a massive development for us," Ms Ratcliffe, told BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement programme.

"We had been campaigning for 19 months asking to speak to the foreign secretary with no luck.

"All of a sudden, not only has my brother got the prospect of a foreign secretary telephone call but a possible trip to Iran. We're headline news now."

Ms Ratcliffe had hoped her sister-in-law would have been due for early release this year and there had been "a lot of positive noises in Iran and the foreign office".

She said following Mr Johnson's comments, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was taken back to court.

"She was given the harshest judge, told it would go trial and because this was her second trial she faces a double sentence," she added.

"It is difficult to know whether that trial would have gone ahead without the foreign secretary's remarks."