UK condemns 10-year sentence for British couple in Iran

By Reuters 19 February 2026, 10:06 am

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A undated handout picture released by the family of Craig and Lindsay Foreman through Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in London on February 15, 2025, shows Craig and Lindsay Foreman posing for a selfie photograph at an unknown location. (Photo by Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office/AFP)

British foreign minister Yvette Cooper condemns as “totally unjustifiable” the 10-year sentence given to two British nationals detained in Iran, saying the government will continue pressing for their release.

Craig and Lindsay Foreman had been charged with espionage after Iran accused them of gathering information in several parts of the country.

“We will pursue this case relentlessly with the Iranian government until we see Craig and Lindsay Foreman safely returned to the UK and reunited with their family,” Cooper says in a statement.

Joe Bennett, Lindsay’s son, says in a separate statement that the couple had appeared at a three-hour trial on October 27 last year in which they were not allowed to present a defense.

“We have seen no evidence to support the charge of espionage,” he says, adding that the family was deeply concerned about the couple’s welfare and the lack of transparency in the judicial process.