Craig and Lindsay Foreman


UPDATE, FEB 18:

Iran’s authorities have charged UK nationals Craig and Lindsay Foreman with espionage.

Judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir claimed the couple had entered Iran “under the guise of tourists” and “collected intelligence in several provinces in the country”.

Ebrahim Hamidi, the top judge in Kerman Province, alleged that “it has become clear” that the couple “have ties with several institutes linked to intelligence services”.


ORIGINAL ENTRY, FEB 15: Iran authorities have detained a British husband and wife, Craig and Lindsay Foreman.

The Foremans are being held in Kerman in south-central Iran on “security grounds”.

Earlier this week, Iran State media published photographs of UK Ambassador Hugo Shorter seeing the couple. Kerman Prosecutor Mehdi Bakhshi, and the Kerman Governor’s deputy for security and law enforcement, Rahman Jalal, were present.

The couple were heading for Australia, having crossed into Iran from Armenia on December 30. Lindsay Foreman, pursuing a research project, was asking people what constitutes a good life.

The couple posted on January 3, “To put your minds at rest, we are having the most amazing time in Iran.” Their next destination was Pakistan.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said, “We are providing consular assistance to two British nationals detained in Iran and are in contact with the local authorities.”

The Foremans’ family said in a statement:

This unexpected turn of events has caused significant concern for our entire family, and we are deeply focused on ensuring their safety and wellbeing during this trying time.

We are actively engaging with the British government and relevant authorities, working diligently to navigate the complexities of this matter. The family are united in our determination to secure their safe return.

They asked for privacy as “the emotional burden of this situation weighs heavily on us.

Iran’s security services have seized a series of foreign and dual nationals for political leverage and bargaining chips for the return of Iranian officials convicted abroad.

Last month Iran traded Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, held since October, for Iranian exporter, Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi. Detained at an airport in Milan, Abedini Najafabadi was wanted by the US for supplying compompents used in a drone attack that killed three US soldiers in Jordan.

Iran’s Regime Releases Foreign Journalist, Italy’s Cecilia Sala