Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's family, who live in north Oxford, after feeling 'elated and overjoyed' to see her back in the UK.

Former Headington School teacher Rosemary Gay is the aunt of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband Richard Ratcliffe and she and her husband Colin have been campaigning for Nazanin's release since she was jailed in Tehran by the Iranian authorities on spying charges she has always denied.

Oxford Mail:

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe returned to Britain yesterday after the Government settled an outstanding debt of about £400m owed to the regime in Tehran.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe arrived at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire just after 1am to be reunited with her husband and her daughter Gabriella.

Read again: Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe lands back in UK

The mother of one, whose husband Richard has long campaigned for her release, left Iran with fellow British-Iranian Anoosheh Ashoori after their release was secured.

Oxford Mail:

Mrs Gay and her husband, who live in north Oxford and are both retired, kept an eye on the news to see the moment Nazanin landed back in the UK.

Mr Gay said: "Of course we are elated and overjoyed - Rosemary stayed up to see Nazanin arrive - neither of us would believe it was true until it happened.

"We are ecstatic that Nazanin is home after so much pain - it has been six years of agony."

Mr Gay said his wife has now gone to visit her sister Barbara, Richard Ratcliffe's mother, who lives in Hampshire.

Read more: 'We want Nazanin back' says Oxford family

He praised Richard Ratcliffe for campaigning tirelessly for his wife's release, including going on hunger strike.

"Richard has just worked so hard on this - for the past six years he has been living for it.

"Gabriella has not seen her mother for about four years and the three of them will need to take some time together before there is a family reunion.

"Two years ago we had our hopes raised that Nazanin was coming home - you can't forget this and I don't think any of us ever will."

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Mr Gay thanked Oxford West and Abingdon MP Layla Moran for her efforts to help and thanked everyone who signed a petition calling for Nazanin's release.

He said: "We have been overwhelmed by the support from people in Oxfordshire and around the country."

There were emotional scenes at RAF Brize Norton when Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe stepped off the plane to be reunited with her husband and her seven-year-old daughter.

She was wearing a blue dress and a yellow scarf when she stepped off the government-chartered flight from Oman.

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