TORFAEN MP Nick Thomas-Symonds quizzed foreign secretary Boris Johnson on his efforts to secure the release of jailed British mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in Parliament this week.

Mr Johnson travelled to Iran last week to meet the Iranian government and discuss the case of the mother-of-one, whose sister-in-law lives in Cwmbran and was detained on spying charges in April last year. She has remained in jail ever since.

Addressing Mr Johnson, the Labour MP said: “Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s sister-in-law lives in my constituency, and local people have presented me with a petition for her release.

“May I press the foreign secretary directly? Did he request to see her personally, so that he could judge of her mental and physical wellbeing?”

Mr Johnson replied: “The Iranian government do not recognise the dual national system that we have and therefore do not give consular access.

“As for other members of the Zaghari-Ratcliffe family, it would be better if I said that I think their privacy should be respected.”

Last month Mr Johnson incorrectly told a Parliamentary committee Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was training journalists in Iran when she was arrested.