Comments by "Nigel Johnson" (@nigeljohnson9820) on "Diplomatic discussions: Boris Johnson meets Iranian counterpart" video.

  1. Iran seem to be keen to justify Trump's claim that Iran has not changed and cannot be trusted. The treatment of this woman, who was on holiday to see her family, is reinforcing Trump's case to renege on the nuclear deal. All he needs to do is point to this case and say clearly Iran has not reformed they are as hard line as ever.
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  2. Looney Bucket, drugs do not appear to be the issue, as she is charged with spying. Maybe the hard liners that control the justice system in Iran want Trump to reimpose sanctions. It would be a way to reverse the move to a more liberal society before the people get use to having more freedom. She is certainly not an ideal choice as a spy, she hardly has access to Iran state secrets. No she is a pawn in some political game. She will be released either when the state gets what it wants or when her imprisonment becomes a liability. Difficult to tell yet which faction instigated her imprisonment. Do they want sanctions to return or do they want more removed.
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  3. NoChallenge are you implying that the BBC is running a spy school? So rather collecting information, she was disseminating it. Clearly a hard-line state such as Iran cannot afford to have journalists reporting on its activity. If this was an exercise to influence the US, it was a waste of time, as the us will only react to captured US citizens. The US government will only use this case to support its action to reimpose sanctions. If the is to influence the UK government, it is also a waste of time and makes the UK appear more important than it is.
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  4. Tim Gib it is not surprising that the UK did not want to supply tanks to a potential enemy. The Iranian people certainly a claim on the money, but I doubt if it will be spent on humanitarian goals. Iran has a weapons program that flirts with the boundaries of the anti nuclear weapons agreement, so the UK is reluctant to return it. That said, the money does not belong to the UK. Unfortunately, the Iranians have misjudged the UK if they think holding a hostage will improve their case. The prisoner will be considered collateral damage and UK public opinion will be manipulated to ensure the Iranian regime takes the lame.
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  5. NoChallenge I think you will find the UK is far more liberal than the Iranian government. Western democracies have a real problem protecting themselves from such subversion. Those who would subvert UK democracy are very quick to exercise their human rights to defend their actions. Actions intent on removing these very rights. There is an old adage that compared the treatment of dissidents in the USSR to that of the UK. In the USSR if you speak against the government they shoot you, in the UK they just ignore you. The latter is far more effective as it does not create martyr's.
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