A British couple jailed in Iran on espionage allegations have ended hunger strikes lasting more than 80 days, according to their family.

Craig and Lindsay Foreman, who deny the allegations against them, were arrested in Iran in January 2025 while travelling by motorcycle from Europe to Australia.

The couple, from East Sussex, were sentenced to 10 years in prison in February. Craig Foreman’s family said his sentence was later extended by two years after he spoke to the media.

They began their latest hunger strike in May after Iranian prison authorities reportedly prevented them from making calls to their families.

According to the family, the protest was also aimed at drawing attention to the treatment of the couple and other prisoners.

Craig Foreman reportedly spent 93 days on hunger strike, while Lindsay Foreman fasted for 84 days. The family said the pair survived largely on milk and water containing either honey or salt.

Five people outside Tehran’s Evin prison joined the protest during its final five days as an act of solidarity. They included Lindsay’s son, Joe Bennett, who participated in the hunger strike in the UK alongside four other people whose identities were not disclosed.

“My mum and Craig have spent months on hunger strike, and even at the point of bringing it to an end they wanted to make it about something bigger than themselves,” Bennett said.

He said the final phase of the protest was intended to promote values including truth, justice, kindness, peace and unity.

Bennett said Sunday marked the first time in three months that his mother and Craig had sat down to eat.

“I will not rest until they can do it at home with us,” he said.

The family said the couple had previously undertaken another hunger strike in November as what Bennett described as a “cry out for help”.

The development comes after the family met the UK’s first envoy for complex consular cases, Alistair Burt, and the new Minister for the Middle East, Stephen Doughty.

Bennett described the meetings as positive and constructive but called on the British government to take further action, including engaging other countries and opening discussions with Iranian authorities.

“Now it is time for them to put their warm words into action and reach out to other states for support, reach out to Iran for discussions and name this as the arbitrary detention that it is,” he said.

The Foremans were arrested while travelling through Iran during their motorcycle journey and have consistently denied accusations of espionage.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office had yet to comment on the latest development at the time of publication.