The family of a British couple detained in Iran feared they were in one of the country’s most notorious prisons when it was bombed by Israel – and are still yet to hear from them weeks later despite assurances from Tehran that they are alive.
Lindsay and Craig Foreman, 53 and 52, were arrested and charged with espionage in Iran earlier this year after setting off on a “dream” round-the-world motorcycle trip in August.
The pair were forced to sleep on the floor of a 3x3 metre cell in Kerman, southeastern Iran, for at least five months on a diet of rice and fruit. In June, they went missing for a month.
Their family was told they were set to move to Tehran’s sprawling Evin prison complex, which held thousands of inmates, on 8 June, but it emerged four days later the transfer was delayed due to a paperwork issue.
On 13 June, Israel launched a devastating 12-day airstrike campaign against Iran, including an attack on 23 June that destroyed the prison and killed 79 people.
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The couple were unreachable throughout this period as their family was put through a “month of torment”. They say the UK Foreign Office did not know where they were.
It was only on 8 July that the Iranian foreign ministry told British officials they were in Kerman. The British Foreign Office has still not had any contact with the couple.
Mrs Foreman’s son Joe Bennett, 31, told The Independent: “The place they had been potentially transferred was being bombed and we didn’t know until today [8 July] they were okay.
“They are just a normal mum and dad being held as political prisoners and they need to come home.”
On their way to Australia, Mrs Foreman, a life coach with a doctorate in psychology, was carrying out a research project asking people what constituted a “good life”.
On 30 December, Mrs Foreman posted a map of Iran, saying they were about to face “one of the most challenging — and, let’s be honest, slightly scary — sections of our journey: Iran and Pakistan”.
The next day, she crossed into Iran from Armenia with her husband Craig, a carpenter, and planned to reach Pakistan by 4 January, despite “the advice of friends, family and the Foreign Office”.
They travelled through the cities of Tabriz, Tehran and Isfahan with a tour guide and visa but never checked into their hotel in Kerman.
Mrs Foreman’s last social media post on 3 January was a picture of her meeting a “kind and thoughtful mullah” in Isfahan, central Iran.
On 13 February, Iranian state media published a photo of them alongside British ambassador Hugo Shorter announcing they had been charged with espionage.
Since then, the couple have been visited three times by British consular officials, most recently on 12 May. At around this time, Mrs Foreman was not walking properly and had a bad back, her son said.
He added: “I cannot imagine what they are going through. The anxiety and hopelessness, being left in the dark. It is hard to think about.
“It cannot go on for years. We need action. They are not spies. It was supposed to be the holiday of a lifetime but it has turned into a nightmare.”
Iran has previously held British citizens for years on vague security charges. In 2022, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori were released after spending six and five years in Iranian prisons.
They were both held in Evin prison, one of the country’s most visible symbols of authoritarian rule for over 40 years. Dissidents, foreign journalists, academics and diplomats have all been held there.
Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian was held there for nearly a year and a half and claimed guards repeatedly threatened him with execution.
A FCDO spokesperson told The Independent: “We are deeply concerned by reports that two British nationals have been charged with espionage in Iran. We continue to raise this case directly with the Iranian authorities.
“We are providing them with consular assistance and remain in close contact with their family members.”
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