To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they will take in the light of the decision of the Supreme Court in Iran not to free dual British-Iranian national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe; and whether they will publicly call for her release.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they will take in the light of the decision of the Supreme Court in Iran not to free dual British-Iranian national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe; and whether they will publicly call for her release.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Government of Iran on the use of the death penalty in that country.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Government of Iran on the use of the death penalty in that country.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Iran about the provision of appropriate medical treatment for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and about ensuring her general welfare.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Iran about the provision of appropriate medical treatment for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and about ensuring her general welfare.

Before the House adjourns for the Easter recess, I wish to raise a number of points. I shall end with a tribute to two Officers of the House who are retiring today.

We are leaving the European Union. My goodness, it has taken nine months actually to start the process, but...

Before the House adjourns for the Easter recess, I wish to raise a number of points. I shall end with a tribute to two Officers of the House who are retiring today.

We are leaving the European Union. My goodness, it has taken nine months actually to start the process, but...

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on harassment of schoolchildren and expulsion of university students from the Baha'i community in Iran; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on harassment of schoolchildren and expulsion of university students from the Baha'i community in Iran; and if he will make a statement.

The Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), has made clear his concerns about Iranian state-sponsored terrorism destabilising the state of Israel and the whole middle east. As a consequence, will he please confirm that ensuring it recognises the right of the state of Israel to exist is first and foremost in future engagement with Iran?

The Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), has made clear his concerns about Iranian state-sponsored terrorism destabilising the state of Israel and the whole middle east. As a consequence, will he please confirm that ensuring it recognises the right of the state of Israel to exist is first and foremost in future engagement with Iran?

My hon. Friend is absolutely right that this is an opportunity for Iran to re-engage following the nuclear deal and to show that it is meeting 21st-century standards. I am pleased we have had the Airbus deal, which is an example of how we can work together commercially, but we also need to work together on governance and on recognising the boundaries of states.

My hon. Friend is absolutely right that this is an opportunity for Iran to re-engage following the nuclear deal and to show that it is meeting 21st-century standards. I am pleased we have had the Airbus deal, which is an example of how we can work together commercially, but we also need to work together on governance and on recognising the boundaries of states.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on Baha'i-owned shops being sealed by government authorities in the city of Alborz, Iran in November 2016 and remaining closed; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on Baha'i-owned shops being sealed by government authorities in the city of Alborz, Iran in November 2016 and remaining closed; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received of the suppression of the economic activity among the Baha'i community in Iran; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received of the suppression of the economic activity among the Baha'i community in Iran; and if he will make a statement.

I beg to move,

That this House has considered Iran’s influence in the Middle East.

I believe that Iran is a leading sponsor of state terrorism, providing financial and material support to extremist Islamist terrorist groups across the middle east, including Hamas, Hezbollah and the insurgency in Afghanistan and Iraq. Iran actively...

I beg to move,

That this House has considered Iran’s influence in the Middle East.

I believe that Iran is a leading sponsor of state terrorism, providing financial and material support to extremist Islamist terrorist groups across the middle east, including Hamas, Hezbollah and the insurgency in Afghanistan and Iraq. Iran actively...

As the hon. Gentleman moves on to the specifics, may I take him back to the general? Is it not the fact that being a vicious dictatorship at home, like so many such states in history, makes the state a menace to its neighbours as well? I hope that the...

As the hon. Gentleman moves on to the specifics, may I take him back to the general? Is it not the fact that being a vicious dictatorship at home, like so many such states in history, makes the state a menace to its neighbours as well? I hope that the...

I am going to focus purely on the influence within the region. If other hon. Members wish to concern themselves with conditions in Iran itself, that will be very welcome.

I am going to focus purely on the influence within the region. If other hon. Members wish to concern themselves with conditions in Iran itself, that will be very welcome.

To pick up on the previous intervention, something that links Iran’s international and the domestic activities is that it has passed a new counter-terrorism law to try to clean up the country. At least, that is what it claims—but it does not include Hezbollah and Hamas. Does my hon. Friend...

To pick up on the previous intervention, something that links Iran’s international and the domestic activities is that it has passed a new counter-terrorism law to try to clean up the country. At least, that is what it claims—but it does not include Hezbollah and Hamas. Does my hon. Friend...

That certainly is a worrying sign. As I will go on to explain, those organisations are some of the recipients of significant amounts of resources that come from the Iranian regime.

That certainly is a worrying sign. As I will go on to explain, those organisations are some of the recipients of significant amounts of resources that come from the Iranian regime.

This is a really important debate. Following on from the intervention by my right hon. Friend the Member for Warley (Mr Spellar), would the hon. Gentleman also include Pyongyang and Yemen on his list of Iranian spheres of influence?

This is a really important debate. Following on from the intervention by my right hon. Friend the Member for Warley (Mr Spellar), would the hon. Gentleman also include Pyongyang and Yemen on his list of Iranian spheres of influence?

I will do; if I can get to my speech, I hope I will be able to elucidate some comments about the places that the hon. Gentleman mentions.

The Iranian leadership has cited Syria as being Iran’s 35th province, with President Assad’s Alawite minority-led regime being a crucial buffer between the...

I will do; if I can get to my speech, I hope I will be able to elucidate some comments about the places that the hon. Gentleman mentions.

The Iranian leadership has cited Syria as being Iran’s 35th province, with President Assad’s Alawite minority-led regime being a crucial buffer between the...

My hon. Friend has brought forward an important and timely subject for consideration today. He mentions the US—does he agree that many of us were disappointed with the Iran nuclear deal? It dealt with Iran’s nuclear capacity, but there was a missed opportunity to tackle some of the state-sponsored terrorism...

My hon. Friend has brought forward an important and timely subject for consideration today. He mentions the US—does he agree that many of us were disappointed with the Iran nuclear deal? It dealt with Iran’s nuclear capacity, but there was a missed opportunity to tackle some of the state-sponsored terrorism...

I hope to come on to that point, but I completely agree with my hon. Friend’s assertion. I believe that the Iranian nuclear deal was a missed opportunity. Not only did it not address issues surrounding terrorism, it also failed to consider human rights in Iran—something that is very important...

I hope to come on to that point, but I completely agree with my hon. Friend’s assertion. I believe that the Iranian nuclear deal was a missed opportunity. Not only did it not address issues surrounding terrorism, it also failed to consider human rights in Iran—something that is very important...