UK – Iran International, Feb. 19, 2026
British couple detained in Iran have been sentenced to 10 years in prison on espionage charges, their family said on Thursday, prompting renewed calls on London to secure their release.
Lindsay and Craig Foreman, both in their 50s, were arrested in January 2025 while on a motorcycle trip through Iran. They deny the charges.
The couple were tried in October at Branch 15 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court and were not allowed to present a defense, according to their son, Joe Bennett. A judge delivered the verdict in recent days, the family told BBC.
“We are deeply concerned about their welfare,” Bennett said, urging the British government to “act decisively and use every available avenue” to bring them home.
He said Iranian authorities had presented no evidence of espionage and that their lawyers had been told there was no legal basis for the case. Applications for bail were ignored, he added.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has decried their sentence as “completely appalling and totally unjustifiable”.
