‘If you have blue eyes and blonde hair, Iran is not safe’: Tourists warned after couple’s arrest

London: British tourists have been warned that Iran is not safe “if you have blue eyes and blonde hair” after a couple on a motorbike tour were arrested by the Islamic regime.

Craig and Lindsay Foreman were detained by security forces in the central eastern city of Kerman last month as they travelled through the country on a round-the-world motorcycle tour.

Craig and Lindsay Foreman (left) in Iran before their arrest.Credit: Instagram

Iranian state media, which disclosed the couple’s identities on Saturday, said they were being held on unspecified “security-related charges”.

However, Iranian government sources said the husband and wife were being used as political bargaining chips to secure concessions from Britain and that they would have been arrested just because they were British citizens.

Craig, a 51-year-old carpenter, and Lindsay, a 52-year-old psychologist, had been documenting their international tour on social media and had posted a YouTube video of themselves in the historic city of Yazd, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on January 3.

An Iranian government source told the London Telegraph: “They weren’t arrested for committing a crime – they’re British citizens, and that alone is enough to justify their detention and then phone England and ask for something.

“They likely took photos of something, which has been used as a pretext for their arrest, and now they [the authorities] are trying to get something from England in exchange for their release. We don’t know exactly what’s happening, but demands may have already been made to England for their release.

“You don’t need to commit a crime – holding a European passport makes you a target here. If you have blue eyes and blonde hair, Iran is not safe for you, whether you’re a tourist or travelling for business.”

Four days before the couple were last heard from, they acknowledged in a Facebook post the Foreign Office’s warnings of the “high risk of arrest”, as well as concerns from their friends and family, but said they “want to find out for themselves”.

Their post from December 30 read: “The UK government advises against all but essential travel to these areas, and the news paints a pretty grim picture.

The Foremans had been attempting to reach Australia as part of a psychology research project asking people what constitutes a “good life”.Credit: Instagram

“But here’s the thing: overlanders and travellers who’ve ventured through these regions speak of nothing but warm hospitality, incredible landscapes and memories that last a lifetime.

“We want to find out for ourselves. That is why we are here. We believe that, wherever they come from, (most) humans are good, kind people wanting to live a good life.”

Vida Mehrannia, the wife of Ahmadreza Djalali, a prisoner in Iran, said her husband learnt of the Foremans’ arrest from other inmates in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, but that the couple had not yet been transferred there.

Mehrannia, whose husband is an Iranian-Swedish academic who has been on death row since 2017, said: “He has heard about their arrest but said the couple is not in Tehran. He and other prisoners have no information about them.”

Iranian authorities have chosen to detain the couple in the remote city of Kerman instead of Tehran, possibly to limit information leaks and keep any negotiations about their release away from the capital.

A statement from the couple’s family said the “unexpected turn of events” had caused significant concern, adding: “We are deeply focused on ensuring their safety and wellbeing during this trying time.

“We are actively engaging with the British government and relevant authorities, working diligently to navigate the complexities of this matter. The family are united in our determination to secure their safe return.”

Earlier this week, Iranian state media released photographs showing British ambassador Hugo Shorter meeting the Foremans, whose faces had been blurred out, in Kerman.

The couple, who lived in East Sussex before moving to Granada, had been trying to reach Australia as part of a psychology research project asking people what constitutes a “good life”.

Social media posts show they crossed into Iran from Armenia about December 30 and planned to reach Pakistan by January 4. After staying in the Iranian cities of Tabriz, Tehran and Isfahan, accompanied by a tour guide, they travelled to Kerman but never checked in to their hotel.

Richard Ratcliffe, whose wife, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, was arrested by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard at Tehran’s main airport in 2016 after a holiday, said the government must act more promptly to help the Foremans than it did to help free his wife.

He said the dangers of travelling to the Middle Eastern country would be “a lot clearer” if Foreign Office travel advice reflected “the risks of hostage-taking” there.

Ratcliffe, who went on hunger strike twice as part of his campaign for his wife’s release, added a court process may soon come “to get the government’s attention”.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe was released and returned to Britain six years after her arrest when Britain agreed to settle a £400 million ($790 million) debt dating back to the 1970s.

The Telegraph, London

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