THE foreign secretary is travelling to Iran this weekend and is expected to try and secure the release of British mother jailed on spying charges.

It is thought Boris Johnson will raise the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was detained at Tehran airport as she tried to return to Britain on April 3, 2016.

His young daughter also remains in the country.

The Foreign Office confirmed Mr Johnson will arrive in Muscat today for the start of a three-day visit to Oman, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

During the visit he will meet with senior figures in all three countries to discuss a range of issues, including the future of the Iran nuclear deal, and how to bring an end to the conflict in Yemen, a spokeswoman added.

The trip will be the first made by a British foreign secretary to Iran since 2015 and only the third since 2003.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s sister-in-law, Cwmbran GP Rebecca Ratcliffe recently acknowledged that the political pressure by the government had increased.

She told the Argus: “We have been campaigning for 19 months to have this recognised as a diplomatic issue.

“The government is behind Nazanin and wants to bring our girls home.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who works for the charitable arm of the news agency Reuters Thompson, is serving a five-year sentence over allegations of plotting to overthrow the Tehran government.

She denies this, and her family says she was arrested after visiting family to celebrate Nowruz – the Iranian new year.

She had an appeal over her five-year sentence rejected by the Iranian Revolutionary Court earlier this year, while she is due to appear in court on Sunday on a second charge of spreading propaganda.

It follows a gaffe by Mr Johnson, in which he told parliamentary committee Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was training journalists in Iran at the time. Her employer has also denied this.

A vigil was held in honour of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe in Newport on Sunday night.

More than 100 people attended, including the leader of Newport City Council, Debbie Wilcox.