Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s husband Richard Ratcliffe has said that he is “deeply grateful” for her release and is looking forward to “a new life” with his wife and daughter.
Speaking to reporters alongside his daughter Gabriella, Mr Ratcliffe said that his wife had asked for a cup of tea on her arrival back in Britain.
Richard Ratcliffe said that “there will probably be a couple of days peace and quiet” when Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe arrives back in the UK. “The first thing she wanted was for me to make her a cup of tea, so we will do [that].
“I think actually we were looking at the house and it needs a bit of tidying, so there might be a bit of tidying, perhaps directed by mummy when she comes back,” he said.
Mr Ratcliffe said that on Tuesday night his young daughter Gabriella had asked if her mother was really coming back. He described his wife as “pretty agitated” in the run-up to getting on a plane out of Iran, and said “it has been bumpy.”
“There have been some scary conversations in the last couple of days as well, with people trying to make sure she would be well behaved when she came back,” he said. “There is a big grin on her face in that photo [taken of her on the plane]. It is going to be lovely to see her, lovely to catch up with her.
“We’ve chosen which toys we’re taking so that she can get to see them. We’re looking forward to a new life.”
Referring to whether the UK’s settlement of a £400million debt with Iran had helped to release Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, Mr Ratcliffe said: “We’ve been kept out of the loop on it... to this point we’ve been kept out of the loop, so I don’t know what’s happened in briefings and so on. I’m just pleased that the problem’s been solved.”
He continued: “I think the government has two jobs; to protect people in situations like this, and to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.
“That second part is for another day but for today I’m happy about the way things are.”
Mr Ratcliffe also thanked all of the people who had supported his campaign to bring his wife home.
He said: “This wouldn’t have happened today without all the care and support of people up and down the country.
“This has been a cruel experience in some ways but it has also been an exposure to such a level of kindness and care from all walks of life.”
The family of Anoosheh Ashoori, a British-Iranian national who was released alongside Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, said that they were “delighted” he had been freed.
They said in a statement: “This day has been a longtime coming, and we are thankful for the efforts of everyone involved in bringing Anoosheh home.
“1672 days ago our family’s foundations were rocked when our father and husband was unjustly detained and taken away from us. Now, we can look forward to rebuilding those same foundations with our cornerstone back in place.”
