Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress he has made in securing the release of British residents detained in Iran.

The Government remains extremely concerned about the welfare of British-Iranian dual nationals detained in Iran. The Foreign Secretary raised his concerns about dual national detentions with Foreign Minister Zarif on 6 January, and the Prime Minister did so with President Rouhani on 9 January. The Former Minister for the Middle East and North Africa raised the issue with the Iranian Ambassador on 13 January.

We will continue to consider using all the diplomatic and legal tools available to us, and to lobby the Iranian Government at the most senior level.