Two British citizens detained in Iran have been charged with espionage, after they allegedly gathered information in different parts of the country, the Iranian judiciary's Mizan news agency reported on Tuesday.
Craig and Lindsay Foreman were heading to Australia on a motorcycling trip around the world and had planned to be in Iran for only five days when they were detained last month for unspecified security offences, Iranian state media reported.
“The detained individuals entered the country as tourists and collected information in several provinces of the country,” Mizan said, without giving further details.
A statement issued by the UK Foreign Office on the family's behalf said: “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.
“We are actively engaging with the British government and relevant authorities. The family are united in our determination to secure their safe return.”
A Foreign Office spokesperson said the government would "continue to raise this case directly with the Iranian authorities".
Iranian state media reported last week that two nationals were being held in Kerman and published photos of the couple, with their faces blurred, meeting the British ambassador in the south-eastern city, before confirming their identities days later.
The UK government is advising British and British-Iranian dual citizens against travelling to the country. It says they are “at significant risk of arrest, questioning or detention”.
Human rights organisations and European countries have accused Iran of holding Europeans in custody in an attempt to be granted concessions from their nations. Tehran has denied these accusations.
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of NGO Iran Human Rights, told The National that “the charges seem to be part of the Islamic Republic’s hostage diplomacy".
“Essentially, they arrest western citizens and impose serious charges in order to use them as bargaining chips,” Mr Amiry-Moghaddam said. “This policy has been successful from the Islamic Republic’s perspective, as the West has consistently responded by giving the regime what it asks for.
“For instance, western hostages have been exchanged for the release of Hamid Nouri and Assadollah Assadi, who were sentenced to serious charges of war crimes and terrorism by Sweden and Belgium [respectively].
“As long as such hostage diplomacy remains profitable for the Islamic Republic, they will continue to employ it. To prevent this from happening, western countries need to adopt a united and firm policy. The first step is to call it what it is – hostage-taking.”
