The UK government has issued a red travel warning urging citizens to avoid “all travel” to Iran after a British couple, Craig and Lindsay Foreman, were detained on charges of espionage.

The couple, who were travelling on a global motorbiking trip, were arrested in January in the southeastern Iranian city of Kerman, accused of working with covert institutions linked to Western intelligence agencies.

The UK Foreign Office said it was “deeply concerned” following the arrest, reiterating that British citizens, especially dual nationals, face significant risks when travelling to or residing in Iran.

“We are deeply concerned by reports that two British nationals have been charged with espionage in Iran. We continue to raise this case directly with the Iranian authorities,” the Foreign Office told The New Arab.

The British government confirmed that consular assistance is being provided, and efforts to remain in close contact with the detainees’ families are ongoing.

Iranian state media reported that the Foremans had entered the country on a tourist visa and were allegedly involved in covert activities under the guise of research and investigative work.

Iranian officials claimed they were “monitored with the cooperation of security agencies” before their arrest and accused the couple of gathering sensitive information across various provinces in Iran.

According to a statement by the judiciary, the couple was cooperating with Western intelligence agencies, although no specific evidence has been provided to substantiate these claims.

Craig and Lindsay Foreman were travelling as part of a global motorbike journey to “promote positive psychology”. The couple had crossed into Iran from Armenia on December 30, 2024, for a short five-day visit.

Their last social media post, published from Isfahan on January 3, celebrated their positive experience in Iran.

However, within weeks of their arrival, Iranian authorities took them into custody, and their detention has now become a point of international diplomatic tension.

The arrest of the Foremans comes after Iran has recently seen growing economic isolation due to the reimposition of US sanctions and the appointment of the new Iranian ambassador to the UK, Seyyed Ali Mousavi

The Iranian judicial system has yet to disclose the specific charges against the couple, but espionage in Iran can lead to penalties ranging from prison sentences to the death penalty.

Amnesty International has repeatedly raised concerns over the harsh legal repercussions that foreign nationals face in Iran, particularly for those accused of espionage.

The UK’s Foreign Office has warned that these penalties could be applied even to foreign nationals, though the specifics of the legal process remain unclear.

The case also draws parallels to the 2016 detention of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian dual national who was imprisoned in Tehran on charges of espionage for five years before being released in 2022.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s arrest was widely regarded as a form of diplomatic leverage, and her case sparked widespread condemnation of Iran’s practice of detaining foreign nationals for political reasons.

The detention of the Foremans has sparked calls for more immediate action from UK officials.

Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, voiced his concerns, urging ministers to not repeat the delayed response in his wife’s case.

In recent years, at least 66 foreign and dual nationals have been detained by Iranian authorities.