Son of British couple jailed in Iran calls for prisoner exchange as hunger strike continues

Joe Bennett, the son of British couple Craig and Lindsay Foreman jailed in Iran, has called for a prisoner exchange involving an Iranian national held in the UK to secure their release, as both remain on hunger strike.

Craig and Lindsay Foreman, from East Sussex, have been held since January 2025 and were sentenced to 10 years in February on espionage charges which they deny. An appeal was rejected, the family said. After the appeal failed, the case passed to Iran's Supreme Court, Bennett said, describing the legal process as "opaque".

Bennett, from Folkestone in Kent, said the family had limited contact with the couple and described information about their case as "very, very fractured". He said the hunger strike was now the family's "biggest concern", adding that Craig Foreman was on day 30 of the protest while Lindsay Foreman was on day 21.

Bennett called for the deportation of an Iranian national held in a maximum security prison in the UK for 23 years, saying there appeared to be "a very big interest" from Iran in that individual. He claimed "there was a point in time that they were willing to let this guy go" and said it was the first sign of a resolution for 18 months, but the government had "seemingly sat on their hands".

The Foreign Office rejected the claims. "There is no truth whatsoever to the claims of a potential exchange arrangement," a statement said. "Giving credence to these claims is not only wrong, but risks hindering all the other efforts currently being made by this government to secure the Foremans' release."

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy told Sky News: "Arrangements can be made of that kind, but the specifics on this would not be right. And I'm not sure from what I've heard that this is… credible." The justice secretary added he could not go into detail on the case because it would "undermine the discussions that we're having with the Iranians".

Richard Ratcliffe, whose wife Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was previously detained in Iran, said the Foremans were "caught in a fight between two governments" and described the legal process as "theatre", suggesting its timing could be significant. Ratcliffe said when detainees go on hunger strike it can signal desperation and a loss of faith in both governments.

The Foremans were arrested while travelling through Iran as part of a round-the-world motorcycle trip. The government previously described the couple's 10-year sentences as "completely appalling and totally unjustifiable". The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has warned all British and British-Iranian nationals not to travel to Iran because of a "significant risk of arrest, questioning or detention".