“Just spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif. Constructive call. I reassured him our concern was destination not origin of the oil on Grace One &that UK would facilitate release if we received guarantees that it would not be going to Syria, following due process in Gib courts,” British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt wrote in a tweet about his phone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Zarif is on the way to New York to attend a UN meeting ad the phone call may have taken place while he was on board.
Hunt added in another tweet "I was told by FM Zarif that Iran wants to resolve issue and is not seeking to escalate. Also spoke to @FabianPicardo who is doing an excellent job co-ordinating issue and shares UK perspective on the way forward.”
The UK top diplomat added he had brought up the issue of dual national Nazanin Zaghri, who is imprisoned in Iran on espionage charges and spending her five-year term now. He said that Zarif “said he would continue to seek to find a solution.”
KI