"An outstanding [400 million pounds ($527 million)] debt owed by the UK to Tehran will be transferred to the Central Bank of Iran in the coming days," Iranian Ambassador to Britain Hamid Baeedinejad wrote on his telegram channel confirming previous reports.
READ MORE: Tehran Rejects Link Between UK Debt to Iran, Case of Jailed UK-Iranian Citizen
Media reports suggested that the progress on the issue of Britain's debt was an attempt to improve bilateral relations with Iran seeking to free Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, an Iranian-British woman, who was sentenced to five years in Iran over alleged espionage and plotting to oust the clerical establishment. However, the ambassador stressed that the deal had nothing to do with this case.
In 2009 the Chamber of Commerce ruled to pay the money back, but military equipment sanctions imposed on Iran did not allow for the payment.
