TEHRAN – British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said that she hopes a £400 million debt that the UK owes to Iran could be paid back soon, after she held a call with her Iranian counterpart.
She spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian on Monday, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) confirmed.
The money owed relates back to the 1970s when the Shah of Iran signed a contract ordering 1,500 state-of-the-art Chieftain battle tanks and 250 repair vehicles costing £650 million from the UK.
An issue came up in 1979 when, with just 185 tanks delivered to Tehran, the Islamic Revolution deposed the shah Pahlavi. The UK cancelled the undelivered part of the order, and Iran wanted its money back.
It was eventually ruled by an international court that the UK owed Iran the large sum, but it has still not been paid back yet.
While not confirming the discussion of the debt to Iran, the Foreign Office insisted it is committed to paying off the debt.
Earlier this month, Truss had said: “We do want to pay this debt, we recognize it’s a legitimate debt.
“But of course, there are lots of issues, which I’m sure you are quite well aware of.”