A British couple detained in Iran last month has been charged with spying, Iran's state media reported Tuesday.

Britain's Foreign Office has identified the couple as Craig and Lindsay Foreman.

"The detained individuals entered the country as tourists and collected information in several provinces of the country," reported Iran's judiciary-affiliated Mizan news agency. Iran has accused the couple of having connections with "hostile countries."

"We are deeply concerned by reports that two British nationals have been charged with espionage in Iran," a British Foreign Office spokesman said Tuesday. "We continue to raise this case directly with the Iranian authorities."

The Associated Press reported that Hugo Shorter, Britain's ambassador to Iran, has met with the couple in the southern city of Kerman, where they are jailed, with Iranian government officials in attendance.

The Foreign Office said it is providing the couple with consular assistance and is in close contact with their family.

The couple's family said in a statement on Saturday, after the couple's arrest, "This unexpected turn of events has caused significant concern for our entire family, and we are deeply focused on ensuring their safety and well-being during this trying time." The family said it is "united on our determination to secure their safe return."

The two were traveling around the world on motorbikes, according to an AP report, which said that they crossed Armenia's border into Iran on December 30.

Iran has long used Western detainees to gain concessions in negotiations with Western countries, a move Tehran denies.

Some information in this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France Presse.

VOA News

The Voice of America provides news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of over 326 million people. Stories with the VOA News byline are the work of multiple VOA journalists and may contain information from wire service reports.

Subscribe