‘We should pay debt’: Jeremy Hunt says £400m owed to Iran is not ransom money

Former foreign secretary says practicalities not principles are holding back repayment of debt

Practicalities, not principles, are holding back the payment of a 400m British debt to Iran, seen as a precondition of the release of British-Iranian dual nationals held in Tehran, the former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt has said.

He said the payment would not be the equivalent of a ransom payment but the settlement of an outstanding debt. We are a country that pays its debts," he said, adding that the money could be paid through a humanitarian channel to avoid any sanctions. He also said he could not foresee any US objections.