The family of a British couple sentenced to 10 years in Iran on espionage charges has stated they have lost all communication with them, leaving them terrified for their safety.
Detention and Sentencing
Lindsay and Craig Foreman, both 53, from East Sussex, were arrested in January 2025 while traveling through Iran on a global motorcycle journey. They are being held in Tehran's Evin prison and have been convicted on espionage allegations, which they firmly deny.
Loss of Contact
Their relatives fear that the couple's telephone access, their sole means of connecting with the outside world, has been severed as retribution for speaking publicly about their detention. Their son, Joe Bennett, expressed deep concern: "We simply do not know if my mum and Craig are safe. Craig told us that they might have to stop eating if their calls were taken away. I have not spoken to my mum for over a week now. Every day of silence makes it worse. We don't know what is happening to them and we are terrified for them."
Background and Government Response
According to their campaign group, telephone access was cut off earlier this month after the couple gave a media interview in which they said they felt "abandoned" and that avenues for their release were closing. In February, the Foreign Office temporarily withdrew its staff from Iran due to the threat of US strikes. The UK government advises against all travel to Iran, warning that British and British-Iranian nationals face a significant risk of arrest, questioning, or detention. A Foreign Office spokesman previously described the jail sentences as "completely appalling and totally unjustifiable," adding that the couple's welfare is a priority.
Conditions and Missile Strikes
In her first interview since US and Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28, Ms. Foreman told ITV News she could hear the "whistling noise of missiles and the hum of the drones" nearby, causing panic among prisoners. "The first day you could feel it, the impact of the bombs, the rockets, the missiles," she said. Describing prison conditions, she added: "When the buildings shake, there is nowhere to go. These buildings are not designed for safety. There's no fire escape, there's no access to the outside for us. If the building collapses, that will be the end."
