The husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has said the government must act "more promptly" than it did for his wife to secure the release of a British couple detained in Iran during a round-the-world journey.
Craig and Lindsay Foreman were reportedly held in January, but the country’s state-run media only revealed this week they had been accused of security-related offences.
Richard Ratcliffe, whose wife was arrested in April 2016 at Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran after a holiday visit and released six years later, said the dangers of travelling to the country would be "a lot clearer" if Foreign Office travel advice reflected "the risks of hostage-taking" there.
"People would be more alert to the fact that it is not personal, and it doesn't matter whether you have travelled there with a good heart," he said.
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The Foreign Office advises on its website against all travel to Iran and warns of the risk of travellers being detained.
"My heart goes out to them, and I hope they are not in for a long ordeal, and that the government is able to respond more promptly than it did in our case," Ratcliffe added.
On Saturday the couple's family said their situation was causing "significant concern" and are determined to secure their "safe return".
What we know
Craig and Lindsay Foreman, both in their early 50s, were on a motorcycle journey around the world, and were ultimately heading for Australia before their arrest.
The married couple crossed into Iran from Armenia on December 30, according to social media posts.
Mrs Foreman was said to be carrying out a research project as part of the journey, asking people what constitutes a "good life".
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She was due to present her findings at a conference on positive psychology in Brisbane in July, the BBC reported.
The couple had shared regular social media updates from the Middle Eastern country, writing in a Facebook post on 3 January that they were having "the most amazing time" there. Mrs Foreman acknowledged that travelling to Iran against Foreign Office advice was "slightly scary".
"Yes, we're aware of the risks. But we also know the rewards of meeting incredible people, hearing their stories, and seeing the breathtaking landscapes of these regions could far outweigh the fear," she said.
"From the vast deserts of Iran to the towering peaks of Pakistan, we hope to share the beauty, hospitality, and humanity that often go unnoticed."
In other posts, the couple said they had been "overwhelmed by the sense of connection" in Iran, while another picture claimed to show Mrs Foreman with a "kind-hearted mullah" at the Madrasa Naseriyeh in Isfahan.
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"Despite our differences in background, language, and belief, this gesture said everything: I see you. I honour you. We are connected," the caption read.
The Foremans, who according to the Telegraph lived in East Sussex before moving to Andalusia, Spain, in 2019, began their journey in October, heading across Europe and into Asia via Turkey. After Iran, they planned to travel to Pakistan.
According to the couple's family, the pair are being detained in the central city of Kerman. In a statement, they said: "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.
"We are actively engaging with the British government and relevant authorities, working diligently to navigate the complexities of this matter. The family are united in our determination to secure their safe return."
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A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are providing consular assistance to two British nationals detained in Iran and are in contact with the local authorities."
What we don't know
It is not clear when the couple were detained, nor are the exact circumstances of their arrest.
Iranian state media reported on Thursday that two British nationals, a man and a woman, were in custody on security-related charges, but did not go into further detail.
Iran's official news agency published blurred images of the two meeting with the British ambassador but did not identify them.
The British government will now have the task of trying to secure the couple's release, with no clear picture yet of how long this will take, or what the Iranian government could ask for in return.
In the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, she was eventually released and returned to the UK after six years of imprisonment after the UK agreed to settle a historic £400 million debt dating to the 1970s.
What is the Foreign Office's advice on travelling to Iran?
The Foreign Office advises against all travel to Iran, warning that British and British-Iranian dual nationals "are at significant risk of arrest, questioning or detention".
"Having a British passport or connections to the UK can be reason enough for the Iranian authorities to detain you," the government department adds.
It also warns that recent tensions in the Middle East sparked by the war in Gaza, which saw Israel and Iran carrying out limited strikes on each other in October last year, adds to the risk.
"UK government support is extremely limited in Iran. Assume that no face-to-face consular assistance will be possible in an emergency and the UK government will not be able to help you if you get into difficulty in Iran," the Foreign Office adds.
Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of foreigners and dual nationals in recent years, mostly on espionage and security-related charges.
Human rights groups and some Western countries have accused the Islamic Republic of trying to win concessions from other countries through arrests on security charges that may have been trumped up. Tehran denies arresting people for political reasons.
Read more
Richard Ratcliffe: Government must act fast to help British couple held in Iran (PA Media)
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe on motherhood, missing home and surviving prison in Iran (The Independent)
Iran targets Azeri ethnic minority activists to 'silence dissent,' Human Rights Watch report reveals (Euronews)
