A British woman imprisoned in Iran has resumed a hunger strike alongside her husband as the couple continue protesting their detention and prison conditions after more than 16 months in custody.

Craig and Lindsay Foreman, a couple from East Sussex, were arrested in January 2025 while travelling through Iran during a round-the-world motorcycle trip. Iranian authorities later sentenced them to 10 years in prison on espionage charges, which they strongly deny.

According to reports, Craig Foreman began refusing food on May 9 after prison authorities at Tehran’s Evin prison cut off the couple’s access to phone calls following media interviews they gave from custody. Lindsay Foreman is believed to have joined the hunger strike on Tuesday.

Family members say the restrictions on communication with the outside world have increased psychological pressure on the couple during their detention.

The pair had previously spoken to media outlets from prison, describing harsh prison conditions and fears over their future.

In one interview, Lindsay Foreman said she had come to terms with the possibility of dying in prison amid growing regional tensions and uncertainty surrounding their case.

She also described life inside Evin prison during periods of heightened military tensions, saying inmates hid under beds as explosions were heard across Tehran.

Craig Foreman appealed directly to the British government for assistance, saying he could not understand why they had remained imprisoned for more than a year.

He also described being held in a small prison cell under difficult conditions, saying the experience had left him emotionally and physically exhausted.

The British government continues to advise against all travel to Iran, warning citizens of a significant risk of arrest, questioning or detention.

Earlier this year, the UK temporarily withdrew some diplomatic staff from Iran amid concerns over possible military escalation involving the United States and Israel.

Pakistan has shared with the U.S. a revised proposal from Iran to end the conflict in ​the Middle East, a Pakistani source told Reuters on ‌Monday, as peace talks appeared to remain stalled, Reuters reported.

“We don’t have much time,” the source said, when asked if it would take time to close gaps, adding ​that both countries “keep changing their goalposts”.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson ​Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed that Tehran’s views had been “conveyed to the ⁠American side through mediator Pakistan”.

U.S. President Donald Trump said last ​week that a ceasefire with Iran, which was reached in early April, ​was “on life support” after Tehran’s response to a U.S. proposal to end the war made clear the two sides were still far apart on a number ​of issues.

The issues holding up negotiations between the two sides include ​Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its control of the Strait of Hormuz, where it has ‌shut ⁠down shipping traffic that normally carries one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas.

Iran has called for an end to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, where U.S. ally Israel is fighting ​Iran-backed Hezbollah militants. ​Tehran has ruled ⁠out discussing its nuclear programme before the “permanent end of hostilities”.

Tehran also wants compensation for war damage, an ​end to the U.S. naval blockade, a guarantee ​of no ⁠further attacks, and resumption of Iranian oil sales.

Baghaei said Tehran was prepared for all scenarios.

“As for their threats, rest assured that we are fully ⁠aware ​of how to respond appropriately to even ​the smallest mistake from the opposing side,” Baghaei told a televised weekly press conference.

Pakistan has deployed 8,000 troops, a ​squadron of fighter jets and an air defence system to Saudi Arabia under a mutual defence pact, ramping up military cooperation with ‌Riyadh even as Islamabad serves as the main mediator in the Iran war.

The deployment, the full scale of which is reported here for the first time, was confirmed by three security officials and two government sources, all of whom described it as a substantial, combat-capable force intended to support Saudi Arabia’s military if the kingdom comes under further attack, Reuters reported.

Pakistan’s military ​and foreign office and Saudi Arabia’s government media office did not respond to requests for comment on the deployment.

The full terms of ​the defence agreement, signed last year, are confidential, but both sides have said it requires Pakistan and Saudi Arabia ⁠to come to each other’s defence in the event of an attack. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has previously implied that it places Saudi Arabia ​under Pakistan’s nuclear umbrella.

According to the sources, Pakistan has deployed a full squadron of around 16 aircraft, mostly JF-17 fighters made jointly with China, which were ​sent to Saudi Arabia in early April. Two of the security officials said Pakistan had also sent two squadrons of drones.

All five sources said the deployment includes around 8,000 troops, with a pledge to send more if needed, as well as a Chinese HQ-9 air defence system.

The equipment is operated by Pakistani personnel and financed by Saudi Arabia, ​they said.

THOUSANDS OF TROOPS

The military and air force personnel deployed during the Iran conflict will primarily have an advisory and training role, according to ​two of the security officials, who said they had seen exchanges between the two countries and documents on the military assets’ deployment.

The deployment adds to thousands of ‌Pakistani troops ⁠with a combat role that were already stationed in the kingdom under previous agreements, all three security officials said.

One of the government sources, who has seen the text of the confidential defence pact, said it provides for the possibility of up to 80,000 Pakistani troops being deployed to Saudi Arabia, to help secure the kingdom’s borders alongside Saudi forces.

Two of the security officials said the agreement also involved the deployment of Pakistani warships. Reuters was not ​able to determine whether any had ​reached Saudi Arabia.

The scale and composition ⁠of the deployment — combat aircraft, air defences and thousands of troops — mean Pakistan has sent far more than a symbolic or advisory mission, the sources said.

Reuters previously reported that Pakistan had sent jets to Saudi Arabia after ​Iranian strikes hit key energy infrastructure and killed a Saudi national, raising concerns that the Gulf kingdom might ​retaliate heavily and ⁠widen the conflict.

This took place before Islamabad emerged as the war’s principal mediator, helping to broker a ceasefire between Washington and Tehran that has held for the past six weeks. Islamabad hosted the only round of U.S.-Iranian peace talks so far, and had planned further rounds which the sides called off.

Reuters has ⁠since reported ​that Saudi Arabia launched numerous unpublicized strikes on Iran in retaliation for attacks carried out inside ​the kingdom.

Pakistan has long provided military support to Saudi Arabia, including training and advisory deployments, while Riyadh has repeatedly stepped in to support Islamabad financially during periods of economic stress.