The son of a British couple trapped in an Iranian prison is appealing to Donald Trump for help after being “let down” by the British government.
Lindsay and Craig Foreman, both 53, were jailed for 10 years following their arrest in January 2025 while travelling through Iran on a global motorcycle trip.
The couple, from East Sussex, are now being held in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, which has been caught in the crossfire of the US-Israeli bombardment.
Joe Bennett, Ms Foreman’s son, says that British consular staff did not tell his parents that they were leaving Iran a day before the conflict erupted, and says he feels a profound sense of abandonment by the government.
“My government has let me down,” he told The Telegraph. “They are British citizens who appear to have been abandoned. They are in real and immediate danger.”
Mr Bennett has told The Independent of the dire conditions inside the prison, where his parents have allegedly been separated, held in solitary confinement and denied legal representation during their months-long ordeal.
Ahead of a visit to Washington to address the US Capitol this week, Mr Bennett said that neither the British prime minister nor the foreign secretary has responded to letters or a petition pleading for help. He hopes Mr Trump may be able to offer support instead.
“Donald Trump is a father and he has a family. I am sure he loves them deeply. And that is the reason I appeal to him to help us get them out,” he told the newspaper.
Mr Bennett, 31, is preparing to address the US Capitol in Washington on Thursday, during the Transatlantic Conference on Hostage-Taking and Arbitrary Detention.
“The US is actively bringing their hostages’ names up in all high-level international discussions, and the UK should be doing this for my parents, too,” he said.
Mr Bennett previously told how a bomb exploded close to the Tehran prison on the first day of the war, shattering windows and causing plaster to rain down from the ceiling.
Ms Foreman, who was on the phone to her son at the time, described a scene of mass hysteria as female prisoners dived under metal bunk beds for cover, awaiting the next strike.
“The legal process has effectively collapsed. The Revolutionary Courts that sentenced the couple have themselves reportedly been targeted in recent airstrikes,” the family spokesperson said.
“Lindsay and Craig’s state-appointed lawyer has left the country, and the family has no clarity on whether their appeal was even successfully received before court systems shut down.”
A Foreign Office spokesperson told The Independent: “The welfare of British nationals detained in Iran is a priority for this government and continues to be during the current situation in the Middle East.
“Craig and Lindsay’s sentences are completely appalling and totally unjustifiable, and we will continue to pursue this case relentlessly with the Iranian regime and will do so until we see Craig and Lindsay Foreman safely returned to the UK and reunited with their family.
“We continue to provide consular assistance to them and their family.”
