Son of couple held in Iran: 'They aren't spies, they're Mum and Dad'

The son of a British couple detained in Iran has said he broke down in tears when he learned of their arrest and has not heard from them in six months.

Craig and Lindsay Foreman were on a "once-in-a-lifetime" motorbike trip around the world when they were arrested in January and later charged with espionage, which the family denies.

Their son Joe Bennett told BBC Breakfast: "I want to be crystal clear, my parents aren't spies, they're not political players, they aren't criminals. They're Mum and Dad."

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said they were continuing to assist the family and raise the case directly with Iranian authorities.

Mr and Mrs Foreman, both 52 from East Sussex, were motorbiking from Spain to Australia when they crossed into Iran on 31 December.

Mr Bennett said he last spoke with his parents on 3 January prior to their arrest, before learning they were being held in late January and charged with spying in February.

"I didn't know what to do or where to turn," he recalled.

Mr Bennett said one "generic letter" written by his mother had been shared with friends and family since then, and that updates on their wellbeing had come from three welfare checks by UK embassy officials - the last being in May.

"That's tough when you're used to hearing someone's voice every day," Mr Bennett said.

"She's sleeping on a wafer-thin mattress," he said of his mother, "that causes a lot of upset".

"You always go back to how they must be feeling, that's the one thing that gets the family the most."

Mr Bennett said his parents were very active people who loved doing Parkrun, and were trying to "keep as fit as possible" in their cell.

"In true fashion they're now running figure of eights in their cell," he said, "which just shows their mental fortitude".

He added that the conflict between Iran and Israel which erupted in June was a "terrifying" period, "not knowing if they were okay or safe".

The couple were due to be transferred to Tehran's notorious Evin Prison on 8 June, he continued, which was bombed by Israel on 23 June - while the war also saw the UK pull its embassy staff out of the city.

Mr Bennett recalls thinking: "They are now left alone, we haven't got people who can push for their safety and wellbeing."

He said the Foreign Office must act more urgently to bring them home, adding that he was not "clear" on their strategy to do so.

The FCDO currently advises against all travel to Iran, saying that British and British-Iranian dual nationals are at "significant risk" of arrest, questioning or detention.

It also now states that UK government support is "extremely limited in Iran".

"No face-to-face consular assistance will be possible in an emergency and the UK government will not be able to help you if you get into difficulty in Iran," the guidance reads.

Mr Bennett said the family did have reservations about their decision to travel to the country and asked, "why would you go there?".

But he stressed that the couple did so "by the proper means" - with the right visas, accompanied by licensed tour guides, and staying in hotels and along main roads.

"They followed every guideline in the book they could… that clearly wasn't enough."

Mr Bennett said he believed they were arrested because "they have UK passports and are being used as leverage by the Iranian regime".

A spokesman for Iran's judiciary said in February that the couple had entered Iran "under the guise of tourists" and "gathered information" in several parts of the country.

They said the couple had been under surveillance by intelligence agencies and were arrested as part of a "coordinated intelligence operation".

In recent years, Iran has arrested dozens of Iranians with dual nationality or foreign permanent residency, mostly on spying and national security charges. At least 15 have had links to the UK.

Human rights groups say they are often held as leverage, released only when Iran receives something in return.

Mr Bennett said the foreign office had been "supportive in terms of words and comfort, but we're past that now," describing the relationship as "functional".

He added that their "quiet diplomacy" approach had been "going on for too long" and that the family was not "clear what the strategy is".

"We know where we stand and what we want, it's over to you to make this happen."

An FCDO spokesperson said: "We continue to raise this case directly with the Iranian authorities, we're providing them with consular assistance and we remain in close contact with the family."