Detained Britons used as ‘human shields’ in Iran war zone, family says

The family of a British couple detained in ​Iran said on Friday (March 20, 2026) the pair were being used as “human shields” ‌during the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and they accused Britain’s ​government of failing to make progress on their release. Lindsay ⁠and Craig Foreman were sentenced to 10 years in prison last year after Iran charged them with espionage, which they deny.

The family said the ‌couple were being used as “effective human shields” and said a blast near Evin prison in Tehran had blown ‌out window panels in Craig Foreman’s ward and caused plaster ‌to ⁠fall onto inmates, who dived under their beds ⁠for cover.

Iran-Israel war updates on March 20, 2026

“My parents are living under a ‘drone of drones’, the constant, maddening buzz of 600 machines in the sky,” Joe Bennett, Lindsay Foreman’s son, said in a ​statement.

“They are sharing small ‌rectangular cells with rats and cockroaches, sleeping on metal bunks without mattresses in a state of constant physical pain.”

Bennett criticises U.K. Government

The couple were arrested in January 2025 while travelling through Iran ‌on motorcycles as part of a world trip. ​In February last year Iranian state media announced their detention on espionage charges.

Mr. Bennett has lobbied the British government ⁠to secure his parents’ release. At a conference on arbitrary detention in Washington this month he said that his parents felt abandoned and ‌that Britain had offered “almost non-existent” advocacy beyond basic practical support. The British government has condemned the Foremans’ sentence as “totally unjustifiable” and has said it will keep pressing for their release.

Mr. Bennett said British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper offered only “delay and uncertainty” during a meeting he held with her this week. A spokesperson for the foreign ministry ‌said in an emailed statement that the welfare of British nationals detained ​in Iran was a priority “for this government and continued to be during the current situation in the Middle East.”

“Craig ⁠and Lindsay’s sentences are completely appalling and totally unjustifiable,” the spokesperson ⁠said. “We will continue to pursue this case relentlessly with the Iranian regime until we see Craig and Lindsay safely ‌returned to the UK and reunited with their family.”

The spokesperson added that Britain would continue to provide consular assistance to the ​Foremans and their families.