A British couple jailed for 10 years in Iran on spying charges said they felt “let down, alone and completely frustrated” and urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to “come forward and help us”.
“Craig and Lindsay Foreman, both aged 53 and from East Sussex, were arrested in January 2025 while traveling through Iran as part of a global motorcycle trip. They deny all the accusations, and claim the charges were based on “false evidence” to justify the maximum sentence.
“We are not spies”: an emotional plea from prison
Speaking from Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, Craig Forman said the couple’s innocence was known to the UK government but had not been publicly announced.
Sky News quoted Foreman as saying: “It is very difficult to understand why our innocence has not been publicly declared. We are not spies. The charges against us are simply not true.”He added in a direct appeal to Starmer and senior officials: “Reveal the information, you must come forward clearly, come out of the shadows and help us. Our lives are constantly at risk.”
“Life-threatening situation” amid conflict
The couple said they were being held in what they described as a “war zone,” where explosions from nearby strikes sent shockwaves through the prison.
Family members said the explosions shattered windows and forced prisoners to take cover as debris fell around them.Conditions inside the prison have reportedly worsened, with food shortages, a lack of medical care, and prisoners sleeping on metal beds without mattresses. Craig Foreman is said to be suffering from an untreated tooth abscess.
Family describes ‘slow destruction’
The couple had entered Iran on valid visas as part of a planned overland trip from Europe to Australia and intended to stay only briefly.
Their family described the trial as a “sham”, claiming that their detention was arbitrary.Joe Bennett, the couple’s son, said the emotional impact was severe, especially on his mother.“My mother is torn apart… The feeling that her government has abandoned her is devastating her,” he said, describing their detention as “slow destruction.”He also criticized what he described as a lack of urgency on the part of the British authorities, saying that the government had not done enough to publicly challenge the accusations.
The UK government is responding
The British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said the welfare of British nationals detained in Iran remains a priority.In a statement, she described the sentences issued to the couple as “completely horrific and completely unjustified,” and said that efforts are continuing to secure their release and reunite them with their families.The Foreign Office also reiterated its warning to British citizens against traveling to Iran, indicating there is a high risk of arrest.