UK presses Iran to de-escalate, free detained Foreman couple

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that the UK will “not tolerate intimidation, threats or hostile activity on UK soil”, Iran International reports.

The two ministers met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, where Miliband raised threats from Iranian-linked groups, including attacks targeting the British Jewish community, the Foreign Office said.

Miliband urged Tehran to choose “de-escalation and diplomacy” in the war and support efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

He also called for the immediate release of British couple Lindsay and Craig Foreman, who are detained in Iran, according to the Foreign Office.

On February 18, British couple Craig and Lindsay Foreman were charged with espionage after being detained in Iran during a round-the-world motorbike trip.

The couple, both in their early 50s, reportedly entered Iran from Armenia for a five-day visit in December and were later arrested. Iranian authorities accuse them of gathering information from various locations in the country. The Foremans had posted a Facebook selfie from Isfahan on January 3, describing it as “a wonderful place”.

They are being held in Kerman, where Iranian state media recently showed British Ambassador Hugo Shorter meeting two British nationals described as “national security” suspects.

The Foremans’ relatives have expressed concern over their wellbeing. Richard Ratcliffe, whose wife Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was detained in Iran in 2016, urged UK ministers to respond more quickly.

By Aghakazim Guliyev