Couple make first call home since being detained in Iran

A British couple detained in Iran are “holding strong”, their family have said after being able to speak to them directly for the first time in seven months.

Lindsay and Craig Foreman, of East Sussex, were detained in January while on a motorcycle tour around the world and later charged with espionage.

They deny the allegations.

Their son Joe Bennett, of Folkestone, Kent, told the BBC he had an eight-minute call with his mother.

He said: “We laughed, we cried, and for a few brief moments, it felt like the weight of the past seven months lifted.”

He feels his parents are “holding strong”, adding that “they’re resilient, they’re positive, and somehow, they’re still smiling”.

The couple have been separated, are being held in different prisons and have access to basic resources, according to Mr Bennett.

He also told BBC Radio Kent that British officials saw his father was “dishevelled and had lost a lot of weight”.

His mother is not walking well due to prison conditions.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office advises British and British-Iranian nationals, who are at significant risk of detention, not to travel to the Middle Eastern country.

A spokesman said: “We are deeply concerned by reports that two British nationals have been charged with espionage in Iran.

“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.”