British legislator: Zaghari-Ratcliffe will leave Iran

LONDON (AP) — British-Iranian activist Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was detained in Iran for nearly six years, was at Tehran airport to leave the country, a British lawmaker said Wednesday.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe had recovered his British passport over the weekend, which meant that his long journey might be close to an end.

“Nazanin is at the airport in Tehran and on his way home,” lawmaker Tulip Siddiq tweeted. “I went into politics to make a difference and right now I feel like I've succeeded.”

Iranian state media did not immediately report the apparent release of Zaghari-Ratcliffe. A lawyer representing her in Tehran could not be reached immediately.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had confirmed earlier that day that a negotiating team was working in Tehran to secure Zaghari-Ratcliffe's freedom. The president made the statements during a visit to the Middle East, but the activist's family was cautious, as her hopes were often dashed at the last minute.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe spent five years in prison after being detained at Tehran airport in April 2016. She was later convicted of conspiring to overthrow the Iranian government, an accusation that both she and her supporters and human rights groups deny.

Since his release, he had been under house arrest and was unable to leave the country.