A British couple detained in Iran accused of spying have ended their latest months-long hunger strikes protesting their treatment in prison, their family said Monday.

Lindsay and Craig Foreman, both aged in their early 50s, were seized in January 2025 as they passed through central Iran while on a round-the-world motorbike trip.

They were each sentenced in February this year to a decade in prison on espionage charges that they deny, with two years subsequently added to Craig Foreman’s term for talking to the media, his stepson said in July.

They launched their latest hunger strikes in May, protesting the “serious physical toll” their detentions were taking, with Craig Foreman lasting 93 days and his wife 84 days, according to their relatives.

The couple have consistently complained about overcrowded and unsanitary conditions at Evin Prison, a large, heavily fortified complex in northern Tehran, which rights groups say holds political prisoners and foreign nationals.

“After almost three months of protest, Lindsay and Craig chose to end their hunger strikes,” the family said in a statement, noting the pair ended the action by turning the final five days into a “fast for good”.

It aimed to transform the protest “into something constructive and collective, drawing attention not only to their own detention but to the rights and humanity of others imprisoned in Iran”.

The action follows the couple staging a month-long joint hunger strike late last year, demanding Iranian authorities let them have more regular contact.

Around a month into the latest hunger strike, United Nations rights experts warned they were at serious risk, while charging that their detention could amount to “hostage-taking”.

Lindsay Foreman’s son Joe Bennett said in Monday’s statement that “the immediate focus remains Lindsay and Craig’s health, their welfare and securing their release after more than 18 months in detention”.

“This has become even more challenging recently as the UK embassy was closed again on July 22 and is now operating remotely,” he noted.

Bennett, who has been campaigning full-time for their release, has spoken previously about his fears about the negative impact the US war with Iran could have on their case.

AFP