The family of a British couple detained in Iran has revealed their identities as Craig and Lindsay Foreman and expressed hope for their “safe return” home.
Iranian state media published an image of the UK ambassador to Tehran meeting two British nationals in the southeastern city of Kerman, alongside local officials. The individuals’ identities were not disclosed and their faces were blurred.
In the photo, Craig appears to have grown a beard, while Lindsay is wearing an obligatory Islamic hijab — a floral, head-to-toe chador — with her front hair showing.
Neither the family’s statement, released on Saturday, nor Iranian media reports on Thursday clarified the date or location of the couple’s arrest, the purpose of their visit to Iran or the charges they face. The Iranian government has yet to comment on the detentions.
In a statement published by the Foreign Office in London on behalf of the Foreman family, they expressed their concern.
“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,” it said. “We are actively engaging with the British government and relevant authorities, working diligently to navigate the complexities of this matter.”
Tensions between Iran and Western powers are rising. US President Donald Trump has vowed to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions and military activities in the Middle East, imposing a “maximum pressure” policy after taking office last month.
Iran has ruled out negotiations, asserting that the outcome has already been determined by the US, though it has indicated it will continue talks with other Western nations, including Britain, France and Germany, the European signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal.
In recent years, international human rights groups have condemned Iran for detaining both Western nationals and Iranian dual citizens as leverage in political negotiations.
The last major controversial case between Iran and Britain involved Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian national held for six years on charges of plotting to overthrow the Islamic republic before being released in 2022. That came after Britain agreed to unfreeze Iranian funds worth about £400mn after a four-decade impasse.
Other Western nationals are still being detained in Iranian prisons, though the exact number remains unclear and some detainees’ identities are unknown. France, Germany and Sweden are among the countries involved in diplomatic disputes with Iran over their nationals’ detention.
The Islamic republic is grappling with mounting pressures after the unexpected collapse of the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad, which was a crucial regional ally, and its main ally in the region, Lebanon’s Hizbollah.
Iran exchanged tit-for-tat missile strikes with Israel for the first time last year, fuelling concerns that Israel could convince Trump to bomb Iran’s nuclear sites.
Iranian analysts say this is one of the most challenging times in the republic’s 46-year history.
Last week, a 19-year-old student was stabbed to death near a state-run dormitory while resisting thieves who grabbed his laptop. This triggered protests by university students on Friday and Saturday, accusing officials of inefficiency.
But the reformist government of Masoud Pezeshkian is trying to maintain calm. Iran’s higher education minister was quick to apologise to the students and expressed shame while dismissing dormitory officials.
Pezeshkian ordered security agents to stay away from campuses, in a bid to prevent the protests from turning into a new wave of anti-regime street protests.