DUBAI — A British couple being held in an Iranian prison on espionage charges is continuing a hunger strike over conditions inside the facility, while also being denied proper medical care and communication with their loved ones, according to HRANA, a U.S.-based Iranian human rights news agency.
HRANA reported Monday, citing information from an unidentified source familiar with the couple’s situation, that Craig and Lindsay Foreman have lost approximately 16 kilograms and more than 14 kilograms respectively since beginning the strike. The organization said Lindsay Foreman had gone roughly 10 days without a medical examination despite experiencing dizziness, body tremors, and severe physical weakness.
According to HRANA, the couple was recently permitted to speak by phone with their attorney, but they remain prohibited from contacting family members or communicating with one another. Items sent by the British embassy — including medications, eyeglasses, books, and personal hygiene products — have not been delivered to the pair, even though prison medical staff and ward officials reportedly approved the items.
The Foremans were taken into custody in January 2025 while making their way through Iran on a motorcycle trip. They were each sentenced to 10 years behind bars on espionage charges, a verdict that was upheld on appeal in June. Both have denied any wrongdoing, stating that no evidence was presented against them and that they were not given a fair chance to defend themselves.
Iranian authorities did not respond to requests for comment.
Britain’s foreign minister Yvette Cooper spoke out against the couple’s sentencing in February, calling it “totally unjustifiable” and pledging that the British government would keep pushing for their release.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have a history of detaining foreign nationals and dual citizens, most often on charges related to espionage or national security. Human rights organizations have characterized such arrests as a tactic used to gain leverage in international disputes, describing the practice as part of a broader pattern of politically motivated imprisonment. Iranian officials have rejected that characterization, maintaining that the cases involve genuine security matters.
