Two British nationals were charged with espionage in Iran on Tuesday after being detained in January in the city of Kerman. They were identified by their family as spouses Craig and Lindsay Foreman.

According to a judiciary spokesperson, the defendants entered Iran pretending to be tourists and "under the guise of investigative and research work, have collected information in several provinces of the country." The Iranian judiciary claimed they worked with "covert institutions linked to the intelligence services of hostile and Western countries." Kerman Province chief justice said the Foremans met with British Ambassador Hugo Shorter.