Iran accuses detained British couple of spying

Iranian authorities have accused a British couple detained in the country since January of spying, state media reports.

Mizanonline.ir, a news website affiliated with the country's judiciary, on Tuesday cited Asghar Jahangir, a spokesman for the judiciary as saying that the Revolutionary Guard's intelligence forces incarcerated the couple, a man and a woman, while in the southern city of Kerman at the time.

They are accused of spying and having links to intelligence agencies of "hostile countries" and collecting information from several Iranian provinces, according to Jahangir who didn't provide further details.

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The report didn't name the couple, however, a family statement released on Saturday through the UK Foreign Office identified them as Craig and Lindsay Foreman, saying their situation was distressing.

"This unexpected turn of events has caused significant concern for our entire family, and we are deeply focused on ensuring their safety and well-being during this trying time," the family said in a statement, adding that it was working with UK officials to navigate the situation.

"The family are united in our determination to secure their safe return."

The two were reportedly travelling around the world on motorbikes when they were detained in January.

British media, citing social media posts, reported that they had crossed into Iran from Armenia on December 30 and were planning to enter Pakistan next, before eventually making their way to Australia.

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The British ambassador to Iran, Hugo Shorter, met the two in Kerman on Wednesday in the presence of officials from Iran's justice department and the governor's office.

Iran has a history of detaining and releasing western nationals on security charges.

The country has long been accused of holding those with Western ties as prisoners to be used as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West. Iran denies those accusations.

In 2022, Iran released British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe after more than five years. She had been sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of plotting to overthrow Iran's government, a charge that she, her supporters and rights groups denied.

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