A British couple jailed on spying charges in Iran have lost their appeal against their convictions, their family has announced.
Craig and Lindsay Foreman, both in their 50s, were handed 10‑year prison sentences in February after being convicted of espionage – charges they vehemently deny. The couple were arrested in January 2025 while travelling through Iran during a round‑the‑world motorcycle trip. They had entered the country from Armenia on 30 December 2024 with valid visas, a licensed guide and an approved itinerary, according to their family.
Their son, Joe Bennett, said the pair had been left in the dark about the legal process and were not permitted to attend their own appeal hearing. “We don’t know if they received a proper account of what was argued on their behalf,” he said. “We know they had been asked to sign documents… documents they could not read, and they refused, but we don’t know the details of when, or what they were.”
The case has now been passed to the Supreme Court of Iran, the highest appellate body, which reviews decisions from lower courts to ensure legal uniformity. Bennett expressed deep confusion about what lies ahead. “Their case has now passed to the Supreme Court, but we don’t understand the process, the timeline, or what, if anything, will be submitted in their name.”
The family has indicated that the couple have no legal representation. Their trial, held at Branch 15 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court in October 2025, lasted three hours and they were not allowed to present a defence, Bennett said. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Intelligence Organization was reportedly involved in their arrest.
Hunger strike and conditions in detention
Both Foremans are now on hunger strike. Craig began his strike on 9 May and is now on day 25; Lindsay joined on 18 May and is on day 16, the family said. This is not their first hunger strike – they previously ended one in November 2025 after receiving written guarantees of contact and welfare, which were later broken, according to their son. All communication with the family has been cut off by Iranian authorities following interviews the couple gave to the BBC from prison. They were reportedly barred from seeing each other for three weeks because of those interviews.
The couple are being held in separate wings of Evin Prison, a facility known for alleged torture and inhumane conditions. Earlier this year Lindsay was placed on an intravenous drip in overcrowded conditions at Qarchak Prison, a women‑only jail, where temperatures reached up to 50C, before being moved to Evin. Craig has been suffering from a dental abscess. Lindsay described her time in detention as “an endurance test for the mind”.
Bennett met with officials at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on Monday but left without “clarity on what pressure is being applied to Tehran”. He said: “Their appeal has failed and they don’t know why. They are on hunger strike because they have run out of ways to make their own government act. The FCDO met with us yesterday and were very kind. But kind is not the same as doing something to enable their release. The dial needs to shift, and it needs to shift now.”
The family has previously suggested the couple are being used as “human shields” amid regional tensions, a tactic critics have called “hostage diplomacy”. Their son noted that the return of two French citizens, Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who had been detained in Iran, shows what can be achieved with political will.
The Foremans had lived in the UK before moving to Spain after Brexit. Craig is a carpenter; Lindsay is a life coach with a doctorate in psychology. They appeared in a 2022 episode of Channel 4’s reality series A New Life in the Sun. Prior to their arrest, Lindsay was documenting her journey for research for a psychology conference in Australia, and the couple had shared messages of humanity and unity on social media.
FCDO statement
In a statement, the FCDO said: “We are disappointed by the appeal decision and will continue working to ensure that Craig and Lindsay are returned safely to the UK. Since their arrest last year, Britain’s ambassador to Tehran, diplomats and officials in London have been working to provide consular assistance. This includes the ambassador visiting them in prison and facilitating calls with their family back in the UK. Minister Falconer last met the family on May 18 and the Foreign Secretary on March 17. Both set out to them personally how unjustified and appalling we consider Lindsay and Craig’s incarceration to be, and the action that the UK Government is taking to try and secure their release.”
The Government had previously described the couple’s 10‑year sentences as “completely appalling and totally unjustifiable”. The FCDO warns all British and British‑Iranian dual nationals not to travel to Iran because of a “significant risk of arrest, questioning or detention”, adding that a British passport can make individuals a target for Iranian authorities, potentially leading to months or years behind bars. UK government support in Iran is extremely limited, with no possibility of evacuation or on‑the‑ground assistance in emergencies.
