HRANA – Craig Foreman and Lindsay Foreman, two British nationals detained on charges of “espionage,” are currently being held in Tehran’s Greater Prison and Qarchak Prison in Varamin. According to Ms. Foreman’s son, the couple has been denied any contact with their family since the time of their arrest.
Joe Bennet, Ms. Foreman’s son, told AFP that on Sunday, August 3, the UK Foreign Office informed the family that his mother and stepfather had been transferred to the two prisons. He noted that the complete lack of communication has deepened the family’s concerns about their safety and the conditions of their detention. Bennet has called on Iranian authorities to allow the couple to make contact with their loved ones.
The arrest took place in Kerman and was carried out by agents of the IRGC Intelligence Organization. A spokesperson for Iran’s judiciary previously announced that the pair had been detained on espionage charges. Following their initial arrest, they were transferred to Evin Prison.
Asghar Jahangir, a senior judicial official, later alleged that the detainees had entered Iran under the pretense of tourism and, while presenting themselves as researchers, had gathered information across several provinces.
Earlier, on February 13, 2025, the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office of Kerman announced that Hugo Shorter, the British Ambassador to Iran, had met with the detained individuals at the prosecutor’s office.
The couple, both in their early 50s, had entered Iran as part of a motorcycle world tour and had planned to continue their journey to Pakistan after a short stay.
In recent years, Iranian authorities have arrested multiple foreign nationals on charges of espionage or collaboration with hostile governments. While some have been released following political negotiations, human rights organizations and several Western governments have accused Iran of using such arrests as a means of political leverage—an allegation Iranian officials have consistently denied.
