Couple held in Iran unhurt by Israeli bombing

Craig and Lindsay Foreman were detained in Iran in January

The UK government has been urged to prioritise securing the release of a British couple detained in Iran.

Craig and Lindsay Foreman, both 52 and from East Sussex, have been charged with espionage, which they deny, after being arrested in Iran while on a round-the-world trip in January.

On Wednesday a cross-parliamentary group confirmed the couple had not been harmed in Israeli strikes last month and renewed calls for the UK government to resolve the issue.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said it is "deeply concerned" at the situation and is providing Mr and Mrs Foreman with consular assistance.

In a letter to Foreign Secretary David Lammy, the all-parliamentary group for arbitrary detention and hostage affairs (APPG) said just three "welfare visits" had been able to take place since the couple were detained by Iranian authorities - the last being in May.

Last month, Israel bombed various targets across Tehran, including Evin Prison, saying it was hitting "regime targets and agencies of government repression".

The APPG said Mr and Mrs Foreman's family were relieved to now learn the couple were still being kept in prison in Kerman "and not ultimately transferred to Evin Prison" before the bombings.

The group said it believed Iran was holding Mr and Mrs Foreman to use as political leverage.

"They are innocent British nationals falsely accused of espionage and held hostage," it said.

"Mistakes made in past cases, including the cases of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori, must be learnt from.

"More must be done to work with other countries whose foreign nationals remain in arbitrary detention in Iran, to ensure all possible solutions are being considered."

The APPG said the government must also focus on supporting Mr and Mrs Foreman's family.

"We are concerned by reports that there has been inadequate communication with the family in the past six months of their detention, especially while they were possibly implicated in the bombing of Evin Prison," the group said.

The FCDO said it is in contact with the relevant Iranian authorities and that the welfare of British nationals detained in Iran "remains a priority".

"We are deeply concerned by reports that two British nationals have been charged with espionage in Iran," a spokesperson said.

"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."

The FCDO advises against travel to Iran for British and British-Iranian nationals.