Written question asked by John Bercow (Conservative) on Monday, 13 February 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 15 February 2006. It was answered by Kim Howells (Labour) on Thursday, 16 February 2006 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Iran

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Iran regarding respect for human rights.

Answer: We remain deeply concerned at human rights violations in Iran, and discuss our concerns frequently with the Iranian authorities, at both ministerial and official level. Senior officials most recently discussed human rights concerns with the Iranian Charge d'Affaires in London on 17 January, 24 January and 8 February; the British ambassador in Tehran did so when he met Deputy Foreign Minister Jalili on 4 January; and the Austrian Foreign Minister did so on behalf of the European Union when she spoke to her Iranian counterpart on 14 February. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised human rights concerns with Iranian interlocutors on several occasions last year.

Secondary information