The UK government on Saturday named the British couple detained in Iran as Craig and Lindsay Foreman, as their family called for the pair's safe return.
The couple are being held in the city of Kerman, their family said in a statement issued by the UK Foreign Office on their behalf. “This unexpected turn of events has caused significant concern for our entire family, and we are deeply focused on ensuring their safety and well-being during this trying time,” they said.
“We are actively engaging with the British government and relevant authorities,” they added. “The family are united in our determination to secure their safe return.”
The Foreign Office on Friday confirmed that it was “providing consular assistance to two British nationals detained in Iran” and was in contact with Iranian authorities.
Iranian state media had reported on Thursday that two nationals were being held in Kerman for unspecified security offences. It also published blurred photos of the two meeting the British ambassador but did not identify them.
According to the BBC, Mr and Ms Foreman were heading to Australia on a motorbike trip around the world when they were detained in January.
Ms Foreman's last social media posts, from January, describe the couple's joy at being in Iran. Her most recent photo on Instagram, dated January 3, shows her meeting a cleric in the town of Isfahan. “Travel continues to teach me that humanity's core is shared: kindness, humility and respect for one another,” she wrote in her caption.
Iranian authorities have not commented on the reasons for their detention.
The UK government advises against all travel to Iran. It says British and British-Iranian dual nationals are “at significant risk of arrest, questioning or detention”.
Several other Europeans are held in custody in Iran, which has conducted multiple prisoner exchanges with western governments in recent years. Human rights group and western countries have accused Tehran of using the arrests of foreign nationals to gain concessions from other states.