British couple jailed in Iran end hunger strike after several months, family says

A British couple jailed in Iran over alleged spying have ended a three-month-long hunger strike against their sentence, their son has said.

Craig and Lindsay Foreman were handed a 10-year prison sentence in February after being convicted of espionage, which they both deny.

The pair's family previously claimed they were not permitted to attend their appeal hearing, and were left with no other options except for "starving themselves in protest".

Their son Joe Bennett said that they had ended their strike in Iran on Sunday. Mr Foreman had protested for 93 days, while Ms Foreman had gone without food for 84 days.

The couple were jailed following their arrest in January 2025 while travelling through Iran during a round-the-world trip by motorcycle.

In a statement, Mr Bennett said: "Even at the point of bringing it to an end, they wanted to make it about something bigger than themselves.

"Those final five days became about people standing together around values that should be universal: truth, justice, kindness, peace and unity.

"Sunday was the first time in three months my mum and Craig sat down to eat. I will not rest until they can do it at home, with us."

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According to the family, Mr Foreman first refused food in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison on 9 May, while Ms Foreman joined her husband on 18 May.

They have pleaded with the Iranian authorities for the couple to be "shown mercy and allowed to come home", and urged the British Ambassador to Tehran, Hugo Shorter, to intervene.

They also previously called on the UK government to facilitate a prisoner swap with Iranian Richard Jan - dubbed the UK's "worst stalker".

The family previously said that both Mr and Ms Foreman have lost a significant amount of weight, while all communication has been cut off by Iranian authorities.

It comes after reports emerged in July that Mr Foreman was handed an extended sentence - two further years "because he had spoken to the press", according to Mr Bennett.

The family's legal team said at the time that the two-year sentence will be added to the formal complaint submitted to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on the Foremans' behalf.

(c) Sky News 2026: British couple jailed in Iran end hunger strike after several months, family says