Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to engage with his Iranian counterparts on the status of the Jewish community in Iran; and what diplomatic steps he is taking to help ensure the protection of (a) religious freedoms and (b) civil rights for Jews and other religious minorities in Iran.

Iran's human rights record continues to be of serious concern to the UK. Religious minorities, including the Jewish community, suffer discrimination in law and practice, including in access to education, employment, child adoption, political office and places of worship. The UK's Permanent Representative to the UN raised the continued systematic targeting and repression of religious minorities on the 18 March. We were integral to the delivery of a new Human Rights Council resolution on Iran on 3 April, which renewed and expanded the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission on Iran. This will investigate a broader range of abuses including against religious minorities, in an important step towards accountability. Our Ambassador to Iran and the Foreign Secretary continue to raise human rights directly with the Iranian Government.