HRANA News Agency – The spokesperson for Iran’s judiciary has announced that Craig Foreman and Lindsay Foreman, two British nationals recently arrested in Kerman, have been charged with “espionage.”
According to HRANA, quoting Mizan, the judiciary’s official news outlet, the spokesperson confirmed the charges against the detained individuals. Asghar Jahangir, the judiciary spokesperson, stated that the arrests were carried out by the IRGC’s Intelligence Unit and that the couple is accused of gathering intelligence under the cover of tourism. He further alleged:
“The arrested individuals entered Iran under the guise of tourists. They gathered information in multiple provinces while pretending to conduct research and academic studies.”
On February 15, 2025, the Foreman family released a statement confirming the identities of the detainees. Expressing deep concern for their safety, they stated that they are working with the British government to secure their release.
Earlier, on February 13, 2025, the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office of Kerman announced that Hugo Shorter, the British Ambassador to Iran, had met with the detained individuals at the prosecutor’s office.
The couple, both in their early 50s, had entered Iran as part of a motorcycle world tour and had planned to continue their journey to Pakistan after a short stay.
In recent years, Iranian authorities have arrested multiple foreign nationals on charges of espionage or collaboration with hostile governments. While some have been released following political negotiations, human rights organizations and several Western governments have accused Iran of using such arrests as a means of political leverage—an allegation Iranian officials have consistently denied.