Two British nationals detained in Iran have been charged with espionage, according to the Iranian judiciary’s Mizan news agency.
The pair were laid with the charges on Tuesday after they allegedly gathered information in different parts of the country, the agency reported.
Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of foreigners and dual nationals in recent years, mostly on espionage and security-related charges.
The British Foreign Office named the two as Craig and Lindsay Foreman, and their family said on Saturday they were engaging with relevant authorities to ensure their safe return home.
“The detained individuals entered the country as tourists and collected information in several provinces of the country,” Mizan said, without giving further details.
According to British media reports, the pair are a married couple in their early fifties.
Mizan cited a judicial official as saying the two were connected to intelligence services and that investigations into the alleged links were ongoing.
The couple admitted that they had ignored warnings not to travel to the country as part of their “slightly bonkers” round-the-world motorbike trip.
Lindsay said in a Facebook post that by late December they had “now done 12,499 miles across 13 countries”, having crossed places such as Italy, Albania, Greece and Turkey.
A life coach with a doctorate according to her social networks, Lindsay said she had been having “an amazing time” while Craig, a carpenter, praised Iran’s “lovely people.”
In their social media posts the couple said they had been carrying out a research project on what makes a “good life.” Lindsay said she had interviewed more than 360 people.
Iranian authorities have accused the pair of having links with Western intelligence services and said they were found to be “cooperating with covert institutions linked to the intelligence services of hostile and Western countries”.
The couple said they crossed into Iran from Armenia in December.
On Friday, Britain’s Foreign Office said it was “providing consular assistance to two British nationals detained in Iran” and was in contact with Iranian authorities.
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