Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has received assurances from his Iranian counterpart that British citizens will not be imprisoned for the purpose of diplomatic leverage in the coming months.

The safety and security of British citizens in Iran is of paramount importance, and we call on Iran to uphold its commitments under international law to treat all detainees in line with international standards. The Foreign Secretary continues to raise his concerns over arbitrary detentions, most recently with Foreign Minister Zarif on 16 March. Our Ambassador to Iran has consistently raised this issue with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We will continue to lobby the Iranian Government at the most senior level.