Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s husband Richard says he will be on hunger strike for ‘not much longer’ as he goes into day 20

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s husband Richard says he will be on hunger strike outside the Foreign Office “for not much longer” as he goes into his 20th day.

Richard appeared defeated after attending a meeting with James Cleverly, a foreign office minister, on Thursday afternoon (November 11).

He was described as “looking tired and walking slowly, but still talking to everyone” before he walked into the meeting, which was at around 2pm”.

READ MORE:Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s husband ‘deflated’ after meeting with foreign office minister as he vows to continue his hunger strike beyond day 19

Richard said he felt ‘deflated’ after the meeting which he described as ‘depressing’

Richard has been on hunger strike for 20 days to urge the government to do more for wife, Nazanin, who has been detained in Iran since April 2016.

He’s been drinking salted water and taking B vitamins while on hunger strike, but said doctors and family have advised him to not go on strike for much longer.

Richard told BBC Radio London: “Not much longer is the answer. I didn’t want to end it yesterday, to end it on a low – we will take it a little bit longer.

“But I think yes the doctors and the family are increasingly saying listen, respect the fact how old your body is and don’t take this too much longer.”

Mr Ratcliffe began his hunger strike outside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on October 24

Mr Ratcliffe began his hunger strike outside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on October 24

Richard’s brother in law, whose wife is a doctor, has been keeping an eye on him the entire time, said he thinks Richard will stick it out until the weekend.

Richard’s brother in law was concerned that his strike may see him leaving in an ambulance in an “emergency”, however he hopes this won’t have to happen because Richard has been surviving off of salt water and B vitamins.

Richard insisted that he doesn’t want to go out in an ambulance, but with his “head held high” instead.

Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe detained

Nazanin has been imprisoned since April 2016

Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian dual national, has been in custody in Iran since 2016 after being accused of plotting to overthrow the government.

She was taking the couple’s daughter, Gabriella, to see her family when she was arrested and sentenced to five years in jail, spending four years in Evin Prison and one under house arrest.

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According to her family, she was told by Iranian authorities that she was being detained because of the UK’s failure to pay an outstanding £400 million debt to Iran.

Richard has accused the foreign office of “playing games” with his wife’s life, saying he knows she was only taken so Iran could get the money back.

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