Boris Johnson has apologised for his remarks about a British-Iranian mother who is being held in prison in Iran.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe says she was on holiday when she was arrested in 2016 - a claim the foreign secretary appeared to contradict this month.
Apologising in the Commons, Mr Johnson said he would meet her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, on Wednesday and will visit Iran "before the end of the year".
He retracted "any suggestion she was there in a professional capacity".
The row over the imprisonment of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe - who has been held in Iran for more than 18 months - has intensified since Mr Johnson gave evidence before a Commons committee on 1 November.
During the hearing, the foreign secretary said Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been teaching journalism in Iran - something her family and employer say is incorrect.
Campaigners say she could face an increased prison sentence in Iran as a result of the comments.
Responding to an urgent question in Parliament, Mr Johnson was asked to apologise for the remarks.
"Of course I apologise for the distress, for the suffering that has been caused by the impression I gave that I believed she was there in a professional capacity. She was there on holiday," he said.
Mr Ratcliffe has called for his wife to be granted diplomatic protection, which under international law is a way for a state to take diplomatic action on behalf of a national.
Earlier, Downing Street said it was "one of the options" it was considering in the case.
Asked by Labour about the prospect, Mr Johnson told MPs that he would be answering the question "in person" and would meet Mr Ratcliffe this week.
He said he was also planning to visit Iran before the end of the year and would discuss the possibility of Mr Ratcliffe accompanying him.
