British couple held in Iran are on hunger strike, son says

Craig and Lindsay Foreman (pictured) were detained in Iran at the start of the year

A British couple jailed in Iran after being accused of espionage have gone on hunger strike in a "cry out for help", their son has told the BBC.

Craig and Lindsay Foreman were on an around-the-world motorbike trip when they were arrested by Iranian authorities in January.

Joe Bennett, Lindsay's son, described the charges against them as "ludicrous". He said his mother had told him "not eating was the only power she's got", in the seven-and-a-half minute phone call she was permitted on Tuesday.

"She said she felt lost and let down by the government here as well as the authorities in Iran," he added. The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) has been approached for comment.

Mr Bennett (pictured) called on UK officials to secure his parent's release

The Foremans' family say they entered Iran with valid visas, a licensed guide and a pre-approved itinerary - as rules there stipulate.

Lindsay Foreman had been asking people along the route what it means to live a good life.

It appears this is what led to their detainment by the Iranian authorities.

She has been accused of asking questions that could prompt regime change, Mr Bennett said.

The couple have appeared in court several times but have not been officially tried - or convicted. Both are currently in the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran.

Mr Bennett met UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper last month to discuss the case.

The UK government advises against all travel to Iran because of a "significant risk" of arrest, and says having a British passport or connections to the UK "can be reason enough for the Iranian authorities to detain you".

The FCDO previously said it "continued to raise the case of Mr and Ms Foreman directly with the Iranian authorities" and was providing them with consular assistance.

Mr and Ms Foreman are from East Sussex

Mr Bennett has only been able to speak to his mother three times since her arrest.

The couple, both in their 50s, were only allowed their first phone calls home in August, after several months of no direct contact.

Mr Bennett told the BBC he wasn't sure if the hunger strike had help secure the phone call, or when it had started.

"She was crying and I had to try not to cry on the call because I wanted to stay strong for her and pass the strength on," he added.

He said his mother was "usually a very positive person" and it was the first time he'd heard his mother upset.

"Positivity only lasts so long against reality," he said. "It's just a cry out for help."

The Foremans were initially held in the city of Kerman and spent 30 days in solitary confinement before being allowed to share a cell.

They are now both in separate cells in Iran's Evin jail, where British-Iranian activist Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was imprisoned before her release in 2022. She also went on hunger strike, several times.

The Foremans had apparently been promised they would be able to see each other last Sunday but the visit didn't take place.

The last time they saw each was during a visit from the British embassy six weeks ago, Mr Bennett said. Another consular visit is due to take place on Sunday.

He appealed to the UK to do more to secure their release and specifically state that the couple were not spying for the British government.

"They were having a lovely time visiting Iran," he said. "They couldn't have commended the country more... they were saying it was a beautiful country."

"The charges against them are completely bonkers," he added.

Mr Bennett said the phone call with his mother ended abruptly. He doesn't know when he will hear from her again.

Her last words to him were: "I love you loads and I miss you," he said.

"And I said the same to her - 'I love you so so much'. And that's when I started crying, I couldn't hold it together any more."

Additional reporting by Ruth Comerford.