Couple detained in Iran allowed first call home

A British couple detained in Iran have been allowed their first phone calls home after several months of no direct contact.

Lindsay and Craig Foreman, from East Sussex, were on a once-in-a-lifetime trip around the world when they were detained by Iranian authorities in January and charged with espionage.

The family deny the allegations.

Their son, Joe Bennett, said he "finally" got to hear his mother's voice for eight minutes after not knowing if she was alive for more than 200 days.

"We laughed, we cried, and for a few brief moments, it felt like the weight of the past seven months lifted," he said.

Mr Bennett, from Folkestone in Kent, said his parents were "holding strong".

"They're resilient, they're positive, and somehow, they're still smiling," he added.

He told the BBC that the call had been a "real boost" for everyone, but said it was still a "very traumatic time".

The family were previously told by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) that they would be able to speak to their parents, though this did not materialise, Mr Bennett said.

It was revealed on Monday that Mr and Ms Foreman had been separated and were being held in what Mr Bennett called "Iran's worst prisons".

Craig Foreman's son, Kieran Foreman, said the calls were a "massive relief".

"It brings us back up from the hole of despair we have been in – climbing back up from the depths of darkness," he said.

The family said the couple told them that they had access to the most basic of resources.

But Mr Bennett told BBC Radio Kent that British officials saw his father was "dishevelled and had lost a lot of weight", while his mother was not walking well due to prison conditions.

While Mr Bennett said it was "amazing" to hear their voices, he continued that eyes should be "firmly on the real issues".

He called on the British government to recognise them as hostages and indicate what it was going to do to secure their release.

An FCDO spokesperson said it was continuing to raise their case directly with Iran's government.

"We are providing them with consular assistance and remain in close contact with their family members," a spokesperson added.

Brendan O'Hara, vice chair of the all-parliamentary group for arbitrary detention and hostage affairs, previously told the BBC that the couple were "innocent victims of a geopolitical power struggle".

The Scottish National Party MP likened them to "bargaining chips" between Iran's government and Western states, like the US, UK and Israel.