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British PM Calls For Release Of Dual Nationals Held In Iranian Prisons

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left) meets Iranian President Hassan Rohani (right) at the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly, at UN headquarters in New York on September 24.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged President Hassan Rohani to secure the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and other dual nationals imprisoned in Iran during a meeting at the United Nations in New York on September 24.

Johnson called on Rohani to make "progress" for their immediate release while saying that previous conversations between the two leaders had been "productive but so far inconclusive."

A statement by Johnson's spokesperson said the prime minister raised concerns "about Iran's destabilizing activity in the region, including the attacks" on Saudi oil facilities earlier this month.

Johnson also stressed support for the Iran nuclear deal and the need for dialogue, "including on a comprehensive successor deal."

Last year the United States withdrew from the 2015 deal that offered sanctions relief to Iran if it curbed its nuclear program.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian woman, has been in an Iranian prison for more than three years.

Britain, France, Germany, and the United States have blamed Iran for this month's attack on a Saudi oil field.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters