A British-Iranian woman is languishing in a jail in Iran after being charged with meeting the widow of the former ruler, her family has said. Nasrin Rooshan’s relatives said she has been kept in solitary confinement over the face to face with Farah Pahlavi, who was Empress of Iran until she and her husband, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, fled Iran and went into exile in 1979.
Mrs Rooshan’s husband, Arash Asiabi, told the Telegraph she became a British citizen 25 years ago and lives in the UK.
In addition to her detention over meeting the former empress, Mrs Rooshan is also understood to have been detained for participating in London rallies protesting the death of Mahsa Amini, who died unexpectedly while in the custody of Iran’s morality police.
Mrs Rooshan was reportedly detained with her first cousin once removed, Sara Tabrizi, 21, at Tehran’s Imam airport in Iran in November as she tried to leave the country after visiting a relative.
Her husband told the publication she has been held in Evin prison, a notorious jail used to house political prisoners.
Mr Asiabi said Ms Tabrizi was released on bail, but died in unknown circumstances days later.
He added: “Nasrin always wanted to pay her respect to the former Royal Family of Iran and went to Egypt in 2023 to attend the anniversary of the death of the late Shah, where she met with the Queen Farah Pahlavi. On her return to Iran to care for her ill aunt she was arrested.”
Iranian authorities had told Mrs Rooshan’s family in the UK and Iran that she would be released after eight months, but they now claim to have been told their loved one must serve three years behind bars.e
Iran’s Islamic regime has jailed 14 British-Iranian dual nationals since 1982, with most released after spending sometimes years in prison.
Those jailed include Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Mehran Raouf, who was arrested in October 2020.
In January last year, Iran executed British-Iranian Alireza Akbari, on charges of spying which he denied. Britain condemned the killing and hit Iran’s prosecutor general with sanctions.
The detention of dual nationals has been linked by campaigners to political tensions between Iran, the UK, Europe and North America.
Critics of the British Government also argued a £394million debt owed by the UK to Iran for undelivered armoured vehicles and tanks formed part of the reason for the detention of UK-Iranian dual nationals.
The last Shah of Iran ordered the equipment, but Britain cancelled the order in response to the Shah’s overthrow in the Iranian revolution of 1979.
Britain argued the repayment was a separate issue to the detention of dual nationals.
