An international relations expert has told the Mirror that British couple, Lindsay and Craig Foreman, detained in Iran on trumped-up spying charges, will be impacted by new sanctions against the country
It was meant to be the trip of a lifetime when Lindsay and Craig Foreman, both 52, set off from their home in Spain on a motorcycle tour across the globe.
Early this year, whilst the couple were travelling through Iran, they suddenly stopped answering their phones – and they never checked into their hotel.
The couple was detained on espionage charges – something their family strongly denies – and their four children endured months of agonising silence, with no idea if their parents were alive or dead. Eventually, after long-delayed phone calls offered them proof of life, the relief ended quickly, and a new terrifying chapter began.
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At the end of August, the couple were taken “out of the blue” to court, with the family and, they claim, the Foreign Office, having no idea what was going on.
The sudden court appearance came amid the news that the UK, France, and Germany are moving to reimpose sanctions on Iran, which international relations expert, Professor Anthony Glees from the University of Buckingham, said “will make life far, far harder for the Foremans.”
The expert said, “Tragically, two happy-go-lucky British holiday makers have found themselves caught up in an international row which has nothing to do with them.
“Even before the announcement that the E3, the UK, France, and Germany, now want the UN sanctions against Iran to be renewed, everyone here in the UK was deeply concerned about their wellbeing and their fate.
“Being held as suspected spies by the vindictive and vicious Iranian regime is the bad side of horrible. That there is not a shred of truth in the allegation is, sadly, beside the point for a country that has no respect for the truth and is interested only in extortion, propaganda, savagery, sabotage, and mayhem here in the UK.
“The idea that the Foremans are working for MI6 is just too stupid to waste any time denying, and the ayatollahs know this full well. MI6 does not conduct its operations using ordinary, well-meaning, if naive, bikers as spies.”
Conditions for both Lindsay, a psychology coach, and Craig, a carpenter, were already deeply worrying.
Lindsay is held in Qarchak Prison, one of the most notorious women’s prisons in the world, which has long been criticised by human rights organisations. Money and welfare packs sent by her family have reached her, whereas Craig has yet to receive any funds to his prison account.
This means he can’t get clean water or other items essential for his survival. His step-son Joe Bennett, 31, revealed to the Mirror that Craig is still wearing the clothes he was first arrested in, and that the family “fears the worst” every day.
Professor Glees explains that moving to reimpose sanctions on Iran indicates internationally that the three countries don’t believe strikes made earlier this year against the country’s nuclear facilities were successful in neutering its ability to create a nuclear weapon.
Despite President Trump’s insistence that the US strikes were successful, the expert explains, Iran “was weeks away from a bomb, it’s now months away, but its journey has not been disrupted. We are signalling our belief that Trump has been wrong about this.
“The ayatollahs, of course, will spit blood at this decision; the last thing they want is for Iranian [people] to suffer even greater deprivations and risk turning against them in even greater numbers.”
The expert adds, “Lindsay and Craig…are now set to repeat the life-changing experience of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. Also falsely convicted of spying for MI6 she spent six horrendous years in prison, being finally bought free for £393m of UK taxpayer cash in 2022.
The Foreign Office advises against all travel to Iran for Brits and dual nationals, but Professor Glees said that in his view, “It’s no use now saying that, like her, the Foremans should have avoided Iran whilst biking round the world. We are where we are.
“The sanctions demand will make life far, far harder for the Foremans. In my opinion, however much we want Iran to stop building nukes, we should have tried to get them out of that vile nation before hitting Iran, however richly it deserves to be hit.”
Richard Ratcliffe, husband of Nazanin, who campaigned for years for her release, told the Mirror he too believed that the couple’s appearance in court was no coincidence, calling it a “warning” from Iran and a “deliberate signal of what is to come”.
He added: “It feels like the government wants to downplay this side effect, and that the hostages will be collateral damage while it looks tough on an international stage.”