British tourists were warned to avoid Iran after a couple were arrested while on a motorbike tour to Australia.
Security forces detained Craig and Lindsay Foreman in the central eastern city of Kerman last month.
The couple, who used to live in East Sussex, were on their way to Australia as a part of a psychology research project asking people what constitutes a “good life”.
Craig, a 51-year-old carpenter, and Lindsay, a 52-year-old psychologist, regularly posted updates of their trip to social media.
They uploaded a video of their visit to the historical city of Yazd, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on January 3.
Iranian state media confirmed the couple’s identity on Saturday and said they were being detained on as yet unspecified “security-related” charges.
However, Iranian government sources said they had been seized as part of plans by Tehran to wring political concessions from the UK.
“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,” a source told The Telegraph.
“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.”
The couple, who now live in Spain, were aware of the Foreign Office’s warnings about the “high risk of arrest” in Iran for UK citizens.
The couple said in a Facebook post that they “wanted to find out for themselves”.
“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,” they wrote in a post on December 30.
“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.”
Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, urged the government to act fast to secure the couple’s release.
His wife was arrested on April 3, 2016 by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard at Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran after a holiday visit.
She was ultimately released and returned to the UK six years later after the British government agreed to settle a historic £400 million debt dating to the 1970s.
