1979‼️
This from the Express newspaper March 2021:
Nazanin was arrested at Tehran Airport on trumped-up charges of spying on April 3, 2016. Frankly, it’s a wonder that something similar hadn’t happened earlier.
Because we owe Iran money. Lots of money. Roughly £400million. Why? Because the Shah of Iran paid cash up front for a delivery of British-built Chieftain tanks, just before he was overthrown in 1979. We subsequently refused to ship those tanks to the new regime – reasonably enough – but we also held on to the dosh. Not reasonable.
For years Britain stonewalled Iran’s increasingly furious demands for the money’s return, and in 2008 the dispute went to independent international arbitration.
We lost. Unequivocally. Judges ruled that the UK was in the wrong and the money had to be returned at once. But instead of accepting this verdict with good grace, Britain quibbled, sidestepped, ducked and weaved like a dodgy car salesman.”
So subsequent governments over many years have just refused to pay?? Shocking.