In a July 2025 interview, Joe Bennett, the son of Lindsay Foreman and her husband Craig, who have been unlawfully detained in Iran for over seven months, spoke candidly about the family’s distress and growing frustration. With no proof of life and no communication beyond a vague letter, the emotional toll has been immense. They criticized the UK Government’s opaque and passive response, describing a system that prioritizes silence over action. Despite the lack of transparency, the family has begun building a support network, drawing strength from former hostages and refusing to let Lindsay and Craig be forgotten.

How is the family coping with Lindsay and Craig’s unlawful imprisonment?
As well as can be expected. Everyone is dealing with it in their own way. Some are trying to stay brave and continue with their lives, while others are worried sick.

How do you deal with and overcome frustration when things don’t seem to move forward?
To be honest, this is what I am struggling with the most. The frustration of not knowing what to do, coupled with the constant feeling that there is so little I can do, is overwhelming. I don’t think I have ever felt so helpless and lost. At the same time, I have never felt so purposeful, it really is a mix of emotions. I’m trying to channel my frustration into what I can do: develop some sort of game plan, speaking to as many people as possible, and campaigning for my parents’ freedom.

How do you stay hopeful and lift their spirits?
At this stage, lifting their spirits isn’t possible because I don’t even know what state they’re in. We have so little information, and after 7 months of imprisonment, we still haven’t been able to speak with them. To be honest, we don’t even have proof of life. As far as we are concerned, they are being detained incommunicado. Until we have a phone call with them confirming their whereabouts, we will continue to consider them detained incommunicado.

What are the toughest parts and main challenges of trying to free Lindsay and Craig?
There is no real rulebook for this. The UK government’s approach is almost entirely based on quiet diplomacy, which comes with very little transparency—they claim it’s necessary. It often feels like the only way to make progress is to “go to war” with the Foreign Office just to get them to act. They still haven’t acknowledged that Lindsay and Craig are hostages. The strategic denial of family access is surely an obvious sign that they are being held hostage. If they were criminals, they would have access to a phone. From my research, it seems the government only makes progress when there is public pressure. My understanding is that the Iranians simply ignore cases if no one is making noise, and it’s the same with the FCDO.

Are you getting the support you need from organizations, the media, and others?
We are only just starting to build a support network. Up until now, we followed the Foreign Office’s advice, which effectively kept us in a “cone of silence.” We were told not to speak with organizations whose very purpose is to help families going through situations like ours. It’s astounding, they filled us with fear that speaking about Lindsay and Craig would jeopardize their safety. Now that I’ve learned more and spoken with others, I can find no evidence that visibility threatens the prisoners. In fact, the opposite seems true.

How could they help more?
I can’t really say. The organizations I’ve engaged with have been incredibly supportive and empathetic. It makes us feel less alone. Whether it accelerates their release, I’m not sure, but it does make us feel supported as a family. Knowing that others have gone through the same experience is, in a way, comforting. What has been truly inspiring is the willingness of people, especially former hostages like Nizar Zakka, Jason Rezaian, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, Anoosheh Ashoori, Kylie Gilbert Moore, Olivier Grondeau, and so many others—to give us their time and knowledge. Their commitment to helping us in any way they can is endless.

Has there been any communication with Lindsay and Craig? Do you know how they are holding up? What are their confined conditions?
Unfortunately, there has been no communication. We received a letter in March, but it contained no real information. We have no clear details about their conditions, except that we’ve been told they are together in a 3×3 cell.

Has the UK government’s involvement in their case been enough? Are there any updates on diplomatic efforts to free them? And what specific actions have you found most helpful or lacking?
The fact that my parents, British citizens, have been taken hostage, and I have not heard from the Foreign Minister or Prime Minister, but am instead dealing with junior ministers and civil servants, speaks volumes about the UK government’s involvement. Many in Westminster have said that if this happened in any other country, their government would act quickly to secure their release. It seems the British government has an aversion to decisive action. I was told by the Under Secretary that going public with our campaign was a mistake because it would “drive up the price” for my parents, as if they were merchandise at an animal auction.

Is there anything else you would like to share or talk about?
What I’d like people to understand is that behind every hostage story is a family, ordinary people -caught in a nightmare. We need public pressure, media attention, and compassion to keep their names alive. Our fight isn’t just for Lindsay and Craig; it’s for every family who feels powerless in the face of injustice.