British couple held in Iran end hunger strike after months of protest
A British couple jailed in Iran have ended hunger strikes they had maintained for 93 and 84 days respectively, according to their family. Craig and Lindsay Foreman were detained in January 2025 while travelling through Iran on a motorcycle journey from Europe to Australia. They were later sentenced to 10 years in prison in February after being accused of espionage, an allegation they deny.
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The family said the couple began refusing food in May after prison authorities stopped them from calling relatives. It said the protest was also about wider treatment of prisoners, not only their own case. The latest fast ended on Saturday after five people outside the prison joined the action for its final five days, including Lindsay Foreman's son, Joe Bennett, and four unnamed others in the United Kingdom.
By the end of the protest, Craig Foreman had gone without food for 93 days and Lindsay Foreman for 84 days. The family said both had consumed only milk and either honey or salt in water during the strike, and it said other prisoners inside Tehran's Evin jail also took part. Bennett said the couple wanted the protest to become something collective and constructive, rather than remain focused only on themselves.
The case has drawn attention because it involves foreign nationals held in Iran on espionage allegations, a charge that has often been disputed in other detention cases. It also comes amid continuing concern over prison conditions and access to family contact, which can become central issues in long-running detention disputes. The family said the couple's protest was aimed at blocked calls and the treatment of prisoners more broadly, placing the case within a wider pattern of pressure around consular access and detention rights.
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Craig and Lindsay Foreman are from East Sussex, and their family said they had previously staged a separate hunger strike in November as a cry for help. The family also said it had recently met the UK's first envoy for complex consular cases, Alistair Burt, and the new minister for the Middle East, Stephen Doughty. Bennett described those meetings as positive and constructive, and said the next step was for officials to turn warm words into action.
What happens next is unclear, including the condition of the couple after the prolonged fast and whether the latest protest will lead to any change in their access to family contact or prison treatment. The family has called for wider diplomatic engagement, including discussions with Iran and support from other states. The case remains a live consular issue, with the couple still serving their sentences and their allegations denied.
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