IFP - Iranian and British top diplomats have discussed the case of an Iranian-British national who is behind bars in Iran for espionage.





In a Tuesday phone conversation, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson talked about the case of �Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, an Iranian-British woman jailed in Iran.

Zarif stressed during the phone conversation that �dual nationality� is not accepted under the Iranian law, said Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi.

Zarif�s remarks come as Zaghari-Ratcliffe is referred to by Western media as a �British-Iranian national.�

Zarif also highlighted that the three branches of government in Iran work independently.

�Making decisions on this case falls within the remit of the Iranian Judiciary, and I, as a humanitarian gesture, will inform Iranian judicial authorities of your comments,� said the top Iranian diplomat.

The phone call came after Johnson retracted his comments Tuesday about Zaghari-Ratcliffe amid growing criticism from her husband and fellow lawmakers.

Johnson had told a British Parliament committee last week that she was simply teaching journalism in Iran.

His critics say Johnson�s remarks led to Zaghari-Ratcliffe being summoned to an unscheduled court hearing in Iran over the weekend, at which Johnson�s remarks, as the critics say, were cited as proof that she had engaged in �propaganda� against the Islamic Republic.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe is serving a five-year prison term in Iran after being convicted of spying.