>> good good morning everybody morning everybody, big happy happy day today. . a big happy, happy day. 7:00 after spending just shy of six years detained in iran, nazanin zaghari-ratcliffe is back home. touching down in the early hours of this morning. the government has -- with the iranian administration, securing her release, as well as that of fellow dual national, anoosheh ashoori. we'll speak to the foreign office nash --

as well as your friends and anoosheh's mp, during the course of this program. it's thursday, the 17th of march. st. patrick's day! she's home. nazanin zaghari-ratcliffe arrives back in the uk after a six year ordeal in iran. a wave and a smile as she walked off the plane, along with fellow detainee, anoosheh ashoori, just after 1:00 this very morning. nazanin reunited with her loved ones on british soil as her husband says they can be a normal family once again. that's lovely. this is the moment that a young girl got her parents back together again. in other news, no safe haven fears for the well-being of hundreds and the city of mariupol, after russian forces

bombed a theater being used as a shelter. in the southern ports of odessa, the streets are deserted as fears of a russian attack grow. chelsea goes through to the champions league quarterfinals, despite sanctions having over their love and current owner, roman abramovich. ♪ ♪ ♪ ed sheeran's copyright case continues with music experts a divided over whether the shape of you ripped off another song. ahead, the program for you this morning, or speaking to the ukrainian mp who's taken up arms and is fighting for his region in the south of the country. a free house for refugees. we'll chat to the pub owner who's converting his hot spot for a place for ukrainians who

need a place to live. morning everybody. british iranian nationals, nazanin zaghari-ratcliffe and anoosheh ashoori are safely back home in the uk. their plane touchdown in oxfordshire at eight minutes past one this morning. it ended several years of anguish and uncertainty, as they were reunited with their families. katie barn field watched their homecoming. >> this is the moment they were dreaming of. nazinin is a guy ratcliffe and a new show a showery held four years in ukraine -- finally, they are home and they are safe. where they landed, an emotional

reunion with their families. [inaudible] nazanin, with her husband, richard, and cradling her daughter, gabriella. together again, and this time, for good. >> i've met the families, they are safe and well. people are in very good spirits. it's been a very difficult 48 hours. the expectation that they would be released, we weren't sure right into the last minute. it's been very emotional, but but, also very happy moment for the families. >> it was at exactly eight minutes past one this morning that the plane carrying nazanin zaghari-ratcliffe and anoosheh ashoori touched down here. they spent an hour inside with their families behind closed doors, talking and hugging, before leaving to spend the

night in governments accommodation. it was a journey that finally gave them their freedom from an unimaginable ordeal. >> nazanin's nightmare began in 2016, when she was detained by iranian security services as she tried to leave the airport after a holiday. the hidden cameras captured her shock. accused of spying against the iranian regime, she was held for years on charges that she always denied, and subjected to what her husband said amounted to torture. it was his years of relentless campaigning that helped to secure her release, including a hunger strike outside the foreign office. persistence that finally paid off, as joyous photos emerged of nazanin and anoosheh grinning on the plane that was on the plane to bring them home. their relief palpable. now, the nightmare is over. they can finally look forward to life with their families

together again. katie barnfield, sky news. i'm joined by delighted foreign office minister, james cleverly. my goodness me, today the? office >> of the day. it's a combination of a lot of work. people have been working on this for years. previous foreign secretaries, previous officials, but yesterday was a really good day. >> you've been intimately involved in the negotiations for a very long time, with your respective job. what's have been the most challenging aspects? >> well, you know, for much of this, we found dealing with the iranian government incredibly difficult. i think -- has definitely helped. the practicalities of the logistics, of getting people home, the negotiations of

getting nazanin out was complicated at every stage. of course, because of the huge number of sanctions quite rightly applied to iran. all these things because come very tricky and difficult. ultimately, we never gave up, we continued working, we continue supporting the families. i have to say, my aberration for the families of all those detained in iran is enormous. because of that continue teamwork, we managed to secure the release of detainees and nazanin and anoosheh get to come home. >> why don't we pair that 20 years ago as we were instructed to do? >> one of the big problems, of course, because of iran's behavior, because of the things that they have chosen to do, there are a huge number of international sanctions against them. it is technically not easy.

we were able to come to an arrangement -- the details of which are not allowed to his caucus, they're confidential, whereby we can ensure that the money is for humanitarian purposes only, and that we've been able to do a deal that does fit within the international sanctions regime that's imposed against iran. >> the question remains, why didn't we pay the debt before now, given that we can pay now, given the sanctions in place, why don't we pay sooner? >> i can't go into the details of the agreement, but obviously, there are always two parties, or at least, two parties to a negotiation. the previous iranian regime proved very difficult to deal with in some of the proposals that we put forward in the past. the new government coming in did give us an opportunity to reset the foreign sector had the first face to face meetings with her for the first time in over three years. i had a face to face meeting with my opposite number in iran,

the first time in many years. that was part of a combination of things which enabled us to settle this. it >> is a right to say, without going into detail, that we have been trying to pay the debt for sometime, but we came up against roadblocks? >> we had been looking at ways to settle the debt that we conceded that we owed. we owe this debt, we accepted that debt. obviously, the sanctions position and made it incredibly difficult. you cannot just write a check. it doesn't work like that. the details of how we have done it, of course, as i say, have to remain confidential, but it's taken a huge amount of work to come up with a method of ensuring that money is for humanitarian purposes, and it conforms to the sanctions. >> next question, how do we make sure they don't use it for arms? >> as i say, the precise details of how we do this i'm not allowed to discuss. >> let me ask you a different way, how confident are you that they will not be allowed to use it for arms? >> we have taken every precaution to make sure that this is used exclusively for

humanitarian requirements. iran does have a significant and meaningful humanitarian requirement, and as i say, we have to take precautions to ensure that. >> how do we make sure that future brits have not put themselves in a more challenging position, because some would say, this can be seen as a ransom thing? >> we've always said these things were negotiated in parallel, but they were, themselves, separate. we owe this money. >> i understand that. >> that was one negotiate -- we have always said, the incarceration of all those british internationals was unfair, it was wrong, it was completely unjustified. we've negotiated very hard for many years to get them home. we always told people to pay close attention to the uk travel advice. i think, dual nationals are particularly vulnerable in iran,

because iran does not recognize dual nationality. but, we will keep working to secure the permanent release and return home for all those unfairly detained. >> the release and the payment both came on the same day, so, it's not such a great leap to think that it was around some payment. >> as i say, we have always made it clear that the money was also. we recognize that. we've been looking at ways to do that. what connections the iranian regime make is up to them. we've always been completely clear that the incarceration of british dual nationals was completely wrong, completely arbitrary, completely unfair. it has always been in iran's gift to release them. the charges against them were trumped up, we've always had this to be the case. which is very clear. you see the images. >> of course. it's completely coincidental that those things happen on the same day? >> as i said, we have always made it clear that it is not linked, but the iranians make the decisions that they make in response to the bilateral

relationship. settling this debt, and the negotiations we've had with this new iranian government, have clearly been more fruitful. i'm incredibly pleased that we were able to help families reunite. >> okay. is a medical supplies? >> as i say, there's confidentiality. >> we were expecting more to be on the plane, certainly, that was the impression we were given yesterday by the foreign secretary. what's happened there? >> we were always trying to secure, as i say, the full release of all the british dual nationals. trying to get them all home. as a foreign secretary said in the house of commons yesterday, more added to try national. he's got american citizenship as well, and that's made it, in the eyes of the iranians, more complicated. they are obviously seeking to speak to the americans about him as well. we have, and we will, continue to do everything that we can to get him home. he is family. >> you're confident he'll be coming home? >> it's always very tricky. >> he's only one that was

actually born in britain. >> i know, he was born in harris mid. i've spoken with his family on a number of occasions. we are going to keep working to get him home and fully released. >> let's hope that happens before too long. let's talk about saudi arabia. has there been any sort of breakthrough with the prime minister, and the saudis? >> look, the prime minister is looking to help alleviate the pressure that russia's invasion of ukraine has had on oil and gas prices. we'll have to see with the production levels that come out of the middle east. the prime minister has a very influential relationship with a number of heads of states and heads of government in the middle east. i really hope that that production will step up to alleviate some of the pressure we're seeing. ultimately, the prime minister's right. the best way to protect ourselves against this type of pressure is to diversify our energy production, moving to renewable energy, becoming less reliant on all oil and gas,

particularly coming out of russia. >> 81 people killed on a single day over the weekend in saudi arabia. three more killed yesterday -- when he was speaking with the saudis. a used to be a region that you were involved, with what particular human rights abuses would you have wanted the prime minister to bring up >> while the? uk has a long-standing and principal opposition to the death penalty. we bring it up when we speak with any country that has the death penalty. >> that would've been brought up by the prime minister? >> it would have been brought up by the prime minister. i brought it up when i was the minister responsible for our relationship with the middle east. and we do bring up human rights more generally, we defend human rights defenders and the middle east. including in saudi arabia. and we do have regularly very frank conversations with them about this. we do of course need to maintain a strong working

relationship with saudi. it is a very significant and influential country and in the region, and in the islamic world. but we do not hold back when we have conversations with the saudis, and others, about these issues. >> what do we say to them about the way they treat women? >> we have been critical of the role of women in saudi society. i'm pleased to say actually -- over the last few years there has been a huge liberalization in the lives of women in saudi arabia. i have seen the change over the years, that i have been visiting. we encourage them to keep that going, women are now -- >> i have to interrupt you there. because i did see a video the other day, and i couldn't tweeted because it was disgusting. a woman who had allegedly committed adultery. officials chalked her head off, as she was walking across the crossing with her child. >> i haven't seen that, i can't comment on that. >> trust me, it illustrates how some women can be treated. >> that's to say, i'm very very

uncomfortable. very uncomfortable passing video on a comment i haven't seen, i don't have a problem itself. the simple fact is, the liberalization of the role in women in saudi has been pacing. we look to i'm fluffy that, we want that to continue. i have spoken, and i have had dealings with senior women officials in the saudi system. that would not have been the case a number of years ago. we are always going to bring up human rights issues. >> talking about human rights, final thought with ukraine before i let you go. it looks as though hundreds of people that were sheltering in a theater. and suffered a direct hit bomb, it looks as though they were targeted. that sounds to me like another war crime. >> we have seen obvious targeting of civilian infrastructure. that is against international humanitarian law. it's against the law of armed conflict. we need to make sure we capture

evidence of all of these incidents. so that the russian regime that is conducting this completely illegal, completely unjustified war in ukraine, are held and accountable from the international courts. and we will keep applying pressure to choke off the funding to the russian war machine. to try and bring this war to conclusion as quickly as possible. >> and we must conclude our interview there, thank you for joining us. let's have a quick look as what is -- and one story as you can imagine is dominating the guardian leads with a story of nazanin zaghari-ratcliffe release. the telegraph quotes her husband were today " young daughter really is coming home ". the mail does something similar, mommy's home at last. now the times, she can start learning to be happy again it says. still to come on the program for you this morning ... the

culture secretary will join us to chat about the new on loan online safety bill. speaking to a military expert on why the russian invasion of ukraine has stalled. later this hour, we will hear but nazanin zaghari-ratcliffe's through these means to the comedian and friend of the ratcliffe family. latest intelligence from the ministry of defense says the russian invasion of ukraine has largely stalled on all fronts. it comes after u.s. president joe biden said vladimir putin was a war criminal. let's take a look at some of the key developments for you this morning. the uk's and modi says russian forces have made minimal progress on land sea and air in recent days. russian military have been accused of bombing aviator in the besieged city of mariupol. where hundreds of people were sheltering. the number of casualties has not yet been confirmed. at least one person has been

killed, three others injured, after the remains of a missile hit a residential building in kyiv. ukraine's emergency services say the 16 story building was struck just after 5 am local time. and a fourth russian general has been killed, according to ukrainian officials. the 47-year-old major general -- was reportedly killed during the storming of mariupol. martin reports from odessa. another sign of russian aggression against civilians in ukraine. a bombing of a theater in the besieged city of mariupol. the number of casualties is not yet known but local officials say hundreds of people were sheltering there. the satellite images show -- the russian word for children spelled out on the ground. russia's defense ministry has denied carrying out the attack. following another day of violence, u.s. president, joe biden, has, for the first time, called lad near putin a war

criminal. comments which the kremlin has described as unacceptable and unforgivable. >> when you asked me whether i would call -- oh, i think he is war criminal >> peace talks between russia and ukraine are ongoing. the mayor of -- who was kidnapped by russian forces last week has been released, according to ukrainian officials. they say, it was part of an exchange that saw ukraine agreed to handle the nine captured russian soldiers. there is cautious optimism that progress is being made >> my priorities for the negotiations are absolutely clear. the end of the war guarantees of security, sovereignty, restoration of territorial integrity, real guarantees for our country, real protection for our country. [noise] >> the shells continue

to fall on ukrainian cities and, all people can do is hide. if the thought of cowering children doesn't stop the russian bombardment, what will? nick martin, sky news, ukraine. very good question, nick is with us now in odessa. hello nick, good morning to you. eerily quiet i am hearing there, as more and more people stay off the streets. >> yes, generally it is eerily quiet. except this morning, there were a couple of loud explosions, loud enough to shake the windows of my hotel room. it's not clear really what that explosion was, it could be defensive fire, it could be something else. we haven't heard any reports of any damage. it was certainly an alarm call this morning. apart from that, it's quite a quiet place, just preparing itself as best it can.

overnight further east from here is that story in mariupol, which is causing a lot of concern. we know that the theater there was being used as a shelter for around 100 people, it was then hit. we don't know the extent of the damage, we are still trying to figure out how many people have been injured or worse. and you know, what is more heartbreaking about that is that the people there -- as i had mentioned briefly in that report. they had written the world " children " in big letters on the ground. what's more of a desperate attempt can you have to try and appeal to your enemies humanity than that. and yet, perhaps despite that this theater was still struck. as soon as we can verify what on earth is going on there, and who is injured. and hopefully nobody, then we can bring some clarity to that desperate situation.

in the capital kyiv, overnight we know that a missile was brought down, that landed on a 16 story apartment block. the capital, just like how it is here, is full of high rise buildings. these are peoples homes, and more and more people are vernal to these kind of attacks. this morning, worrying news from mariupol, we will try to bring more information about that, that group of hundred people. taking shelter in a cinema that was bombed overnight. >> okay, thank you nick, keep safe, thank you. the chelsea manager said his evening was ruined last night by reports the club may not be able to sell tickets for any future home champions league games this season. due to sanctions on the owner. he was speaking after his team progressed at the quarter final stage of the competition. after their victory, here is the moment. >> what a time it is to follow chelsea.

their club under attack and under threat. the abramovich arrow delivered every piece of silverware to stanford bridge. there are fans on this trip that are ready to move on. and stop singing his name. >> we all appreciate what he's done for the club, he lifted the club. now it is time to let that go. >> they are not the victims, chelsea fans, the ukrainian people are. there is a sense of grievance among some fans. because it feels a bit like why have we turned a blind eye to so many other things? >> i don't personally have a problem with the sanctions, i think they are the right thing to do. i hope it becomes a becomes a wider look on how the government looks at money coming into england. >> with everything swirling around chelsea, victory here in the champions league was impressive. thomas has expertly guided them through this crisis. >> those quarterfinals, they

will have to be played behind closed doors. because of a uefa ruling tonight, you can't sell tickets to chelsea because of the eu. >> thank you for ruining my evening. >> this club is still a highly priced acid, this week there are all kinds of big money figures circling for chelsea football club. at the same time, there are clear warnings that the way football does business has to now change. newcastle's saudi takeover approved by the premier league last autumn has certainly attracted more criticism. then when abramovich took over and chelsea 19 years ago. >> we know that they want to get big money owners, buying premier league clubs, we are really concerned as an organization that these opportunities just create the chance for regimes with terrible human rights records. to use the glitz and glamour and the reflected glory of the premier league to staunch the reputations. >> whoever takes over at this club will inherit one of the

biggest brands in the world of football. and a fan base that will be particularly aggrieved if this new moral compass only points at them. tom carpenter, sky news. and a look at today some of the headlines for you four people have died and nearly 100 have been injured after a powerful earthquake in japan. the magnitude 7.4 quake struck shortly before midnight on wednesday in the northeast of the country. thousands of households are still without power. the government's plan for -- our to be brought before parliament today eventually. the measures require tech firms and social media platforms to protect users from harmful content. the sector will be regulated by -- the football paper has spoken of his worst nightmare after his house was burglarized while he was playing for manchester united on tuesday. the french midfielder whose

children were asleep was told the news just after their defeat at -- music experts has been thinking out loud at a high court trial to decide whether this ed sheeran hit has significant similarities to another song he's been accused of copying. ♪ ♪ ♪ although it was never the same after -- sheeran's 2017 track shape you has been accused of ripping off of the song by sammy. but the forensic musicologist anthony has concluded and a report that it's objectively unlikely similarities between the two are a result of

copying. however, another expert christian found the melodies of both songs were too similar for this not to be ed sheeran. and his team deny any claim the song has been copied. i think i read this morning that he made something like two -- million pounds a year on the royalties from just that one song. ♪ ♪ ♪ you can see why they are fighting over. it a couple from new zealand, who thought they dug up the world's largest potato. only to have their hopes crushed, when they were told it wasn't a potato after all. see what you think, it might be a -- here it is. discovered by collin and his wife on their form. weighing in at 7.8 kilos, they nicknamed it dog. it was crowned the king of potatoes, perhaps edward would have been better. sadly, the couple were left russet faced when the guinness book of records ruled it was in

fact a -- a type of good. so why they won't earn a wedge from their find. [laughs] they won't have the hassle of putting it back into the ground. it's going to be tricky to peel isn't it? time for a quick look at the weather. >> look forward to brighter skies, the weather, sponsored by qatar airways. >> outbreaks in the northwest today, but it will be much more settled from tomorrow, ireland, northern ireland, and western scotland, windy with widespread showers. some a prolonged. >> the weather, sponsored by qatar airways. >> looking at some of the pictures making the morning papers for you. here we go, let's start with the "the i", has this picture

of a leading wnba basketball star, who is detained and russia just before the invasion of ukraine. the paper reports that some u.s. officials believe the two-time olympic champion arrested on alleged drug charges it's being used as a bargaining chip in the conflict. there she is an action. the telegraph has a shot of a u.s. submarine emerging through a large sheet of ice in the arctic. during a three-week training exercise very. impressive the u.s. s illinois, and the uss pasadena are twin vessels being used to increase experience in the region. the mirror has an interesting picture of her mighty'd jockey, taken at the chaplain festival. he looks very happy, doesn't he? perhaps a little bit relieved, as well. jockeys were greeted by a large -- after heavy rain fell on the second day. ahead in the next half hour,

we're speaking to a friend of nazinin zaghari ratcliffe, the comedian, --

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welcome back to the breakfast show on sky news this thursday morning. happy news for you coming up. russia's advances in ukraine, first of all, they've largely stalled on all fronts. that is according to the ministry of defense with forces making little progress in recent days. new reforms have been promised by the government to stop russian oligarchic's using british courts to silence critics. our top story this morning, nazanin zaghari-ratcliffe and anoosheh ashoori are back on uk soil. that was after years of detention in iran. the foreign office minister, james cleverly, has been an interesting part of that negotiation. for years, i asked him why it took so long to pay a debt that

you cannot iran for more than 40. use >> we had been looking at ways to settle the debt that we conceded that we owed. we owe this, debt we accepted that debt, obviously, the sanctions made incredibly difficult. you cannot just write a check it doesn't work like that the details of how we have done it, of course, as i say, have to remain confidential, but it's taken a huge amount of work to come up with a method of ensuring that money is for humanitarian purposes, and it conforms to the sanctions. >> we said as much of the foreign office for us. hi amara, good morning to you. great news, although there is one bright still to come home. >> yes. that is more ride, tap has. -- back in september of last year, she made it clear that her priority was to get all three released. now, in the early hours of this

morning, those wonderful scenes of nazanin zaghari-ratcliffe and anoosheh ashoori arriving back, but more ride remains in iran. he has been released from prison on furlough, but it means he has to go in and out of prison, and he's not back on uk soil. that's still a priority. getting to the stage is the result of intense negotiations that have gone on behind the scenes. having gone back to the 1970s, a debt of close to 400 million pounds, which has finally been paid. as a result, we see nazanin and anoosheh back in britain. all along, nazinin's husband said that they had been treated as pawns in a diplomatic crisis, having always deny the charges that they faced in iran. the question now, how to make sure that this never happens again. that is the priority.

>> thank you. tomorrow's here. it's not often that we can have happy news from the minister first thing in the morning. >> absolutely. those heartwarming pictures of nazanin being reunited with richard and her daughter at 1 am. >> you smell nice, mommy. >> you can just imagine the type of day they're having as they get reacquainted. it's joy for the family for anoosheh ashoori and his wife and children who also campaign very hard for his release. fantastic news for them. one duel national hasn't got out yet. they are working very hard on that. the question is starting to come out today about how it all came about. it's really nerve shredding for 24 hours for everybody involved. i'm told that even up to the last minutes yesterday, the foreign officer remember wouldn't confirm it, even when it was reported on the ground that they were literally on the plane. they knew until that plane took off, there's a chance at the

whole deal could fall apart. it was really nail-biting, obviously for the families, and all the diplomats involved. >> the minister wouldn't tell us how they're going to make sure that the money that's being paid, or however it's been paid, won't be used for arms. >> that's right. it was announced yesterday that the way they fire to get around sanctions, iran's been sanctioned for a long time, it was sanctioned by the eu in 2008, which is why the government say this payment wasn't made before, even though they acknowledge that the uk audit. then, the collapse of the nuclear deal, and now, it's potentially back on the table, but iran has been sanctioned by the uk on its, own for the last two years. they found a way around, it where they say, it has to be spent on humanitarian purposes. exactly with the details of that are, they won't tell us. it's clearly cash and certainly, there is been some diplomats saying it'll be very difficult to make sure that this is only spent on humanitarian purposes. but, they won't give us the details. the key thing, they say this

new government in iran, the new president has been in place, for about a year now, has been crucial in this reset. he really wanted to find a diplomatic solution to this, and clearly, -- one has been found, but it may be, we never really know what they've signed up to and with that money is used for. the uk sanctioned iran for humans rights concerns and of course nuclear activities. >> tomorrow's -- looking forward to. it thank. you the uk's ministry defense as the russian invasion of ukraine has largely sold on all fronts, with forces having made minimal progression on land sea or air. -- western intelligence has found that russia continues to deal with heavy losses. -- a former special adviser for russian adoration affairs. the commanding general of u.s. army in europe, he is with us now. hello, thank you for joining us on the program this morning. is it fair to say that the russian invasion is stalled?

>> good morning, k. thank you for inviting me and apologies for dim light. indeed. what's becoming obvious, really from the very first day of the russian invasion, has now become a fact, namely, that russia launched an invasion based on a flawed strategic concept and major tactical deficiencies, and therefore, it's warm machine is grinding to a halt. they're losing, and they've lost the initiative, in a strategic and tactical sense. >> we say that, and then they bomb a theater, we're maybe 1000 people were. >> yes, this is a barbaric act. a major crime against humanity, which, of course, these acts will be collected and they will be an international accord --

hopefully, sooner than later. it also shows you the desperation of the russian leadership. they're trying to terrorize the population, they're not even able to attack. -- it's unjustified, unfair, barbaric and it has to be punished. >> yeah. it looks as though president putin's feelings have been hurt by president biden, who called him a war criminal. a spokesperson for president putin saying, it was unacceptable and unforgivable rhetoric from a leader who bombed hundreds of thousands of people. would you expect him to do next? >> well, putin has lost all legitimacy in the eyes of the west. he's no longer president putin. he's the war criminal and the dictator of the kremlin. therefore, the only chance --

i mean, for him to assert any success for the russian people is through massive propaganda, and keep putting pressure on ukraine. unfortunately, that means more and more civilians are targeted, because it's the only thing he can do. there will be strikes here and there are against militaries facilities, but the russians are running out of ammunition in high tech ordinance, therefore, they'll keep dumping dumb bombs, old-fashioned style, second world war style, and rocket launchers in various artillery pieces. they'll be terrorizing those neighborhoods in cities until they're forced to give up. >> what -- how sure seriously, i should, say should we take the talks of peace talks from putin? >> again, putin did not invade

ukraine for peace. he invaded ukraine in order to destroy its statehood, and forced to surrender to russia's terms. deprive it of its sovereignty, its foreign policy, its territorial integrity. it's clearly stated during every single round of negotiations. therefore, i would never take putin seriously. and in negotiations for russia are just temporary respite and a continuous warfare against ukraine, and the west, by the way. therefore, he should not be trusted at all. >> some chechens, we believe, have turned to helping the former russian foes in kyiv. the big prize for president putin would be if china agrees to help with weapons. where do you think we are with that? >> i think china is displeased with the way the wear is going.

there is no doubt that putin had promised -- before the olympics, that the war would be over in a couple of days. this was the only way that he will get to the blessing of china to proceed in this way. let's not forget, this multi billion dollar project worth of china, most of the communication lines goes through russia. now, everything is stalled. this is actually hurting china's commercial, strategic commercial plans for eurasia and its global expansion. china cannot be happy with what's happening. the u.s. has issued warnings, of course, to chinese officials not to help russia. i couldn't rule out any anyways of helping russia, behind the scenes, -- >> do please keep safe. thank you for taking the time

to join us. thank you. >> thank, you kate. >> let's return to happy news, should we? the news that nazanin zaghari-ratcliffe and anoosheh ashoori are both back home safe. this morning, they were reunited with their families just after 1:00 this morning at the airport. british -- natasha phillips is with us now. hello to you, natasha. thank you for joining us. tell us a little bit about your background and what you thought about why you saw this morning. >> i'm half iranian, my mother's persian and my father's english. of course, i think, like the majority of people in the country, i'm thrilled for the families of nazanin and anoosheh. it's wonderful news. it's news that we've all been waiting a long time for. >> indeed so. there have been so many false

storms, having their? are you worried -- i'm thinking about whether you want to travel back to iran or not, at the moment, given that this deal has now been done. and, potentially, that it's safe for dual nationals to travel to and from. >> that may depend entirely on whether the interest is out on that debt has been addressed. there is still an outstanding debt of more than 120 million, in terms of interest on that lump sum, if it hasn't been addressed in any deal. tensions may still be high. the iranian government may be thinking about that as their next vocal points. to individuals like morad tahbaz, who had been placed on furlough, may well be the next form of leverage that the iranian government uses to try and incentivize the government of uk to settle any outstanding interest on that some. as we've seen in the past, from bitter experience with the

regime, -- this is more of a form of incentivize asian, in order to get the british government to act. if you're thinking about traveling to iran, and maybe worth considering all of those things and deciding whether there is still a risk, and whether you really need to travel. for myself, as a human rights reporter, who's been focusing on human rights violations in iran for the last six years, and for my team members, focusing on iranian foreign affairs, we probably have to think very carefully about traveling to iran. particularly has outlasted has been very critical of the regime's human rights violations and the ongoing significant levels of corruption within the government and the regime. i'd say, it's a decision people should make very carefully. i hope that the home office, the british government will release guidance in the next day or so outlining the risks that people can make. >> why do you think that they

were released now? >> my thought is that is to more do with the nuclear deal and pragmatism, instead of an altruistic gesture on the british government's part. the nuclear deal has been stalling for several months. there's been huge frustration on both sides, and i think the settlement of the debt remove some of the white noise that the government may have been creating around the nuclear deal negotiations in vienna, trying to push the british government to make key concessions that they may have wanted. it also removes the moral high ground from the iranian government. -- give any concessions that any of the parties want, if they're not getting with their owed. in that respect, it may have been a practical maneuver rather than an altruistic ones. >> okay, great to talk to you. happy news, whatever the reason, at the stage. thank you very much, indeed. >> thank you. >> joining us now is --

comedian and friend of the ratcliffe family. hi, it's good to see you. how are you? have you spoken to them? >> oh, i'm leaving them alone for a little bit. [laughs] we've been -- all my family and friends and supporters of them have been so wrapped up in the story, that i've been waiting -- i sent to richard awhile back, i'm waiting for the time where i leave you alone. i think that's what they need at the moment. i don't know, i can't wait to speak to them, but i think right now, i'm going to give them a couple days to stare at each other. >> absolutely. >> yeah, reacquaint each other. >> richard, to make that promise cup of tea that you've been -- yesterday. this is a great picture of them being reunited. did you see the moving pictures of them being reunited at the airport this morning? >> i mean, it was beyond --

it's like, a dream. i can articulate what it feels like right now. it's been a dream. particularly as its iranian new year starting on sunday for 13 days. that's around the time when she was taken. as the new year approached again, i felt bleak. i didn't even -- i just thought, i should call richard, but it's so sad if there's no news. when it happened, i phoned my brother in rome yesterday. poor man, he still can talk to me. i don't think he stopped crying because my brother was the first person to tell me about all this, because nazanin was a facebook friend of his. he was saying to me, i met this guy richard and his wife in iran has been taken away. at the time, this is back in 2016, i said, it's iran, they do this all the time, she'll be out in a couple weeks, don't upset yourself.

that was my thinking because, you know, we iranians it's not new this kind of outrageousness from the iranian government. i mean, -- why i'm in exile. -- as time went on it was clear that this was in one of those situations where they were playing a little game with someone. this went on and on, and i've met richard -- >> this would've been about six years ago. i just remember him saying to me, when i said to, when you can speak to your daughter on zoom -- not zoom, but facebook -- facetime. he said, well, he's such a common, he said, well, she's forgetting her english. that simple little fact broke me. to know that your child is forgetting the language that they -- that you love them in.

there were thousands of little moments like that throughout the six years that just chip away at your heart. now that they're back together again, i just can't quite put into words. it feels like life can go on now for everyone. until nazinin was home, i think anyone who knew that more campaign for them was very empathetic. who was this dark backdrop. i'm watching her come down those stairs with a new shaw, i'm so happy for them all. >> talk to me, if you would, we were hearing about the new leader and how it was because of his election that this potential deal has been made possible. what's your view on him? >> i think that how this deal was made possible, and why now, and all of that will be

discussed and weeks and maybe years to come. i don't think we can know completely why this happened now, or if it was because of a changing regime, or this isn't that. it all seems so complicated. frankly, a lot of it's so insidious to look at, right now, -- we are very passionate. iranians love two things, passion anti. all of the analysis of it will be very interesting, and i'm being very positive about everyone. just you wait, k. just the way, all have some things to say about certain people. >> oh. you come and tell us whatever you fancy. obviously, it's a breakfast show, so keep it more or less down the middle. he was saying, it's a persian new year this weekend. i suppose, it will be quite a good time to get together with

the family, wouldn't it? >> it is. it's a rainy new year. i'm working, but it is a time for family and it's a time where we go visit everyone. i like to wish all of your viewers, who are iranian, -- >> what does that mean? >> it means happy new year and jubilation and victory. >> oh, okay. a practice that. do it again. >> -- >> and victory. >> fantastic. your excitement about it all is absolutely intoxicating. honestly, it's such a wonderful day for the family. >> i'm looking at the phone

saying, don't ring richard. leave him alone. don't wake them up. [laughs] >> exactly. when you do see them, pass on our congratulations. we've felt it with richard as he's gone along with his -- twice i think he was on hunger strike, wasn't he? he's battled on. he is, without question, has set the bar so far for husbands everywhere. >> oh, i had a conversation with my partner last night. if that happened to me, how long would you campaign for? it turned into a wee little argument. >> yeah, i'm sure lots of families are having those discussions. thank you so much for taking the time to join us on the program this morning. it's been great talking to you. >> likewise. >> thank you, bye. happy day after so much sorrow over the last few weeks. you have all the latest as nazanin zaghari-ratcliffe and anoosheh ashoori are back in the uk after years of detention

in iran. not forgetting morad tahbaz, a dual national who is still in iran.

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good morning, everybody. it is 8:00. just shy of six years detained in iran, arriving home on u.k. sale, early this morning. touching down just after 1:00 a.m. the british government settled an historic debt with the iranian administration, securing his release, as well as that of fellow national. the foreign minister says he has huge admiration for all of the