Iran has charged British nationals Craig and Lindsay Foreman with espionage, alleging that they collaborated with Western intelligence agencies, the country's judiciary announced on Tuesday.
According to judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir, the couple entered Iran under the guise of tourists and were gathering intelligence before their arrest in Kerman province last month.
Iran's judiciary-run Mizan Online quoted Kerman’s chief justice, Ebrahim Hamidi, as saying:
"Their links to foreign intelligence services have been confirmed. Additional investigations are still ongoing."
Jahangir also stated that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was responsible for taking the Foremans into custody on espionage charges.
The UK Foreign Office confirmed on Friday that it was providing consular support to two British nationals detained in Iran and was in contact with Iranian authorities regarding their case.
The BBC reported that the Foremans, both in their early 50s, were on a motorbike journey across the world when they were arrested. Their social media posts indicate that they entered Iran from Armenia in December, with plans to travel to Australia.
Last week, British Ambassador Hugo Shorter met with the couple at the Kerman prosecutor’s office, according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency, which published a photo of the meeting with their faces blurred.
The British government has long warned against all travel to Iran, citing the risk of arbitrary detention.
Iran has detained several European nationals in recent years, often in high-profile espionage cases that have led to prisoner exchanges with Western nations.
In January 2023, Iran executed British-Iranian dual citizen Alireza Akbari, convicted of spying for the UK, a move that drew international condemnation.
Italian journalist Cecilia Sala was arrested in December 2023 but was released in January 2024, just days before Italy freed an Iranian national, Mohammad Abedini, accused by the US of violating sanctions and supplying drone technology to Iran’s military.
French nationals Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris have been jailed since May 2022, also on espionage charges.
In June 2023, Iran released two Swedish nationals, including a European Union diplomat, in exchange for a former Iranian official held in Sweden—a swap mediated by Oman.
Oman has played a key role in brokering prisoner swaps between Iran and Western nations, including securing the 2023 release of Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele, who had been convicted of espionage and spent over a year in custody.
Western concerns
Iran has repeatedly denied using detained foreign nationals as leverage but has also engaged in multiple diplomatic negotiations for prisoner swaps. Western nations, including the UK, US, and EU, have condemned Iran’s detention practices, calling them a form of hostage diplomacy.
As Craig and Lindsay Foreman face serious espionage charges, their case adds to the growing tensions between Iran and Western countries over detentions, sanctions, and security concerns.
The UK government continues to seek consular access and remains in contact with Iranian authorities as the situation develops.
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