UK Couple Detained in Iran End Hunger Strike After Family Appeal

LONDON — A British couple detained in Iran on spying charges have ended their months-long hunger strike protesting their treatment in prison, their family said Monday.

Lindsay and Craig Foreman, both in their early 50s, were seized in January 2025 while passing through central Iran on a round-the-world motorbike trip. They were each sentenced in February to a decade in prison on espionage charges they deny, with an additional two years added to Craig Foreman’s term for speaking to the media.

The couple launched their latest hunger strikes in May, protesting the “serious physical toll” their detentions were taking. Craig Foreman lasted 93 days and his wife 84 days, according to their relatives. They have consistently complained about overcrowded and unsanitary conditions at Evin Prison, which rights groups say holds political prisoners and foreign nationals.

“After almost three months of protest, Lindsay and Craig chose to end their hunger strikes,” the family said in a statement, noting the pair turned the final five days into a “fast for good” to transform the protest into something constructive and collective.

Lindsay Foreman’s son Joe Bennett said the immediate focus remains the couple’s health and securing their release after more than 18 months in detention. He noted that the UK embassy was closed again on July 22 and is now operating remotely, making their case more challenging. Around a month into the hunger strike, UN rights experts warned the couple was at serious risk and charged that their detention could amount to “hostage-taking.”