I Really Don’t See How They Could Make It Any Clearer

The UK government must act "more promptly" to help a British couple currently being held in Iran than it did to secure the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, her husband Richard Ratcliffe has said.

Anything for publicity, eh, Richard, even when you don't need it any longer?  

Mr Ratcliffe, whose wife was arrested in Iran in 2016 and not released until six years later, said the dangers of travelling to the country would be "a lot clearer" if Foreign Office travel advice reflected "the risks of hostage-taking" there.

So, do they say everything in Iran is hunky-dory, and it's a great place for a vacation? 

The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to Iran, saying British and British-Iranian dual nationals are at "significant risk of arrest, questioning or detention". Having a British passport or connections to the UK "can be reason enough for the Iranian authorities to detain you", it adds.

Hmm. Seems not. What else should they say, Richard? It seems pretty clear to me.  

What An Exercise In Futility...

Surrounded by brightly painted pebbles, posters and paintings calling for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s release, Richard Ratcliffe brought his 21-day hunger strike to an end on Saturday, clinging on to hope his actions have made a difference to his wife’s fate.

He's no Bobby Sands, is he? 

Minutes before he ended the strike early on Saturday afternoon, he said: “My job is to bring Nazanin home, but it’s also to keep a home here, with our daughter Gabriella, for her to come back to. And that is not served by gung-ho stubborn gestures which take things to the bitter end.”

Then what was the point? Your wife is an Iranian national, what on earth does this country owe her?