• False Allegations of Spying: Iran has charged a British couple with committing espionage, the Islamic Republic’s judiciary announced on February 18. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Intelligence Organization arrested Craig and Lindsay Foreman, both aged 52, in early January after they arrived in the country as part of a motorcycle trip around the world. However, the news only became public last week. The couple “entered Iran under the guise of tourists” and “were cooperating with covert institutions related to the intelligence services of hostile and Western countries under the guise of research and investigation activities,” claimed judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir.
• A Journey of Hope: The couple said on Facebook prior to entering Iran that they intended to visit despite the British government’s warning against traveling to the country. “Why? Because we believe that, no matter where you are in the world, most people are good, kind humans striving for a meaningful life,” they wrote. Shortly after their arrival, Lindsay Foreman stated in another Facebook post: “This journey has taught me that when we strip away our differences, what remains is simple and powerful — our shared humanity. And when we choose to shine, together we can truly light up the world.”
• A History of Hostage Diplomacy: Iran has long arrested foreign and dual nationals on spurious charges as part of a calculated hostage campaign to extract concessions from the West. Prominent victims include Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian charity worker, whom Iran freed in 2022 following six years in prison after London paid Tehran a debt of $524 million for an arms deal from the 1970s that had been canceled following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Similarly, in 2016, Iran freed four American prisoners, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, after the Obama administration airlifted $400 million in cash to the regime.
“I don’t know what it will take to convince Westerners to stay out of Iran. You will be taken hostage. They don’t care about your politics or why you came. Don’t go. This hostage-taking should remind British leaders that their years of appeasement — avoiding proscription for the IRGC and delaying the snapback of UN sanctions — have done nothing to improve the regime’s conduct. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer needs to respond with strength, not weakness.” — Richard Goldberg, Senior Advisor
“Western countries should impose significant costs on Tehran’s hostage-taking operations by aggressively targeting its interests while also taking all reasonable measures to prevent Western citizens from traveling to Iran. The status quo only incentivizes Tehran to take more hostages and must be radically changed.” — Saeed Ghasseminejad, Senior Iran and Financial Economics Advisor
“Iran is once again engaging in hostage diplomacy. The regime seeks to deter the United Kingdom from applying pressure on Tehran, particularly in the wake of the Trump administration’s reimposition of maximum pressure against the Islamic Republic. London must not appease Tehran by paying a ransom or providing any other concessions. Doing so would merely incentivize the regime to take more hostages.” — Tzvi Kahn, Research Fellow and Senior Editor
“Hostage-taking has become a profitable tactic for Tehran, emboldened by Europe’s feeble stance and policy of appeasement. The failure to impose real consequences for Iran’s unjust detention of Italian, German, and British citizens has only encouraged the regime. As long as Europe refrains from meaningful reprisals, the Islamic Republic has no incentive to abandon this cynical strategy.” — Janatan Sayeh, Research Analyst
“Ten Reasons Why the Hostage Deal with Tehran Is a Disaster,” by Saeed Ghasseminejad
“The Disastrous Implications of the $6 Billion Iran Hostage Deal,” by Richard Goldberg