Joe Bennett has publicly urged senior UK ministers to intervene after his mother and stepfather, Lindsay and Craig Foreman, were arrested in Iran on espionage charges in January and may face lengthy prison sentences, potentially up to ten years, according to lawyers advising the family.
The Foremans, both 52, were detained days after entering Iran on Dec. 30 and have been held in separate prisons for months. Bennett, 31, who had largely followed Foreign Office advice to pursue "quiet diplomacy" until recently, said he decided to go public in June to press ministers for stronger action and to draw attention to what the family describes as harsh detention conditions, limited consular access and the psychological toll on relatives.
Bennett said his parents were arrested in Kerman in southern Iran on Jan. 3 while on a planned motorcycle trip around the world. He and human rights lawyers said state media has since published an image—with faces blurred—showing the couple meeting a British diplomat. The family has received sparse and sometimes contradictory information: Bennett said he did not speak to his mother for 213 days, learned at different times that she had been moved, and that his stepfather spoke with a British ambassador only after months in detention.
The couple have been held in separate facilities, Bennett said. He described his mother being detained in Qarchak women's prison near Tehran in an overcrowded cell and his stepfather held in Fashafouyeh, the capital's central prison. Bennett and lawyers say the family has concerns about alleged mistreatment and that access to medical care and adequate food appears limited. The Foreign Office has provided consular support to the family, Bennett said, but he has criticised what he described as a lack of decisive action at the highest levels of government.
The Foremans had been travelling to gather material for a psychology research project exploring what constitutes a "good life," Bennett said. Lindsay Foreman, a life coach with a doctorate in psychology, planned to present findings at a conference in Brisbane at the end of their trip. The couple documented parts of their journey on social media, posting photographs from cities including Tabriz, Tehran and Isfahan, which Bennett acknowledged may have made them easier to locate.
Last contact with the family was shortly before the arrest, Bennett said. He recounted that his mother called around Jan. 2 saying she was "absolutely loving it" and praising the hospitality of Iranians. Communication ceased on Jan. 3. The Foreign Office initially treated the case as a missing persons matter before confirming the couple were in Iranian custody later in January.
Bennett said legal advisers have warned that the couple could receive sentences as long as ten years, and that Iranian authorities sometimes negotiate such penalties down while using detained foreign nationals as leverage in diplomatic disputes. He added that human rights lawyers told the family the death penalty could not be entirely ruled out. The Iranian authorities have accused them of espionage; the family rejects the allegations and says they are ordinary travellers and researchers.
The family has had limited access to details of any charges or court proceedings. Bennett said reports surfaced on Aug. 28 that the couple had been brought to a Tehran court hearing with a state-appointed lawyer met shortly before the hearing, but he has not received official confirmation from Iranian authorities. The family has repeatedly sought clearer information about the charges and the location and condition of the Foremans.
Bennett described the emotional impact on relatives, including elderly grandparents who repeatedly see their family members on television and struggle to understand the situation. He said the uncertainty is the most painful element—receiving sporadic voice messages recorded on fellow inmates' phones and occasional emails from his mother—and that the family is trying to remain hopeful while preparing for the possibility of a lengthy sentence.
The Foreign Office has advised against travel to Iran and warned that British nationals who enter the country may be at risk of arrest, detention and, in rare cases, the death penalty. Bennett said the Foreign Office recommended quiet diplomacy early in the case and discouraged public campaigning; he initially complied but went public after learning the prison where his parents were expected to be transferred had been bombed amid rising regional tensions.
Bennett has met Foreign Office officials and said the family's most senior contact has been Hamish Falconer, the parliamentary under-secretary responsible for the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan. He said he wants a meeting with the Foreign Secretary and urged the UK government to raise the case at the highest level with Iranian authorities. He called for more transparency about consular efforts and for ministers to "do everything they can" to secure his parents' release.
The case comes amid broader diplomatic strains between Iran and Western countries and follows several high-profile detentions of dual nationals and foreign travellers in recent years. Human rights groups have criticised Iran's treatment of detainees and the use of vague national security charges, while governments have urged Tehran to allow consular access and ensure fair legal processes.
The Foreign Office said it cannot comment on the details of individual consular cases, but added that it provides support to British nationals detained overseas and urges British travellers to follow travel advice. The Iranian embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Foremans' case.
Bennett said he is taking time off work to campaign for his parents' release and has sought to balance public pressure with the government's request for discretion. He said his decision to speak out was driven by fear for his parents' safety after reports of the bombing of the prison where they might have been transferred and by the lack of clarity about their legal status.
As the family continues to pursue diplomatic avenues, Bennett said he remains focused on keeping attention on the case and on securing better consular access and clear information about charges and court dates. "Love outweighs everything," he said. "They will come home. They will be okay."