FOLKESTONE (United Kingdom), March 7 — The son of a British couple jailed in Iran says explosions near the Tehran prison where they are being held have left him fearing they could be killed in the war.

Joe Bennett, 31, has been campaigning full-time for the release of his mother Lindsay Foreman and her husband Craig Foreman, both 53, since they were detained during a round-the-world motorbike trip at the start of 2025.

The couple were sentenced last month to 10 years in prison on espionage charges that they deny.

For a family that had already endured more than a year of uncertainty and anguish, hearing that Israel and the United States had launched strikes on Iran was “a crushing feeling”, Bennett said.

He had watched the US military build-up in the region in recent weeks with growing dread.

One of his worst fears – that his parents could be caught in the middle of a war – had suddenly become reality.

“There was a bomb that went off on Saturday close enough to the prison that it blew some of the windows out,” he told AFP from near his home in Folkestone, southeast England.

“You’re almost anticipating and wondering if the next one going to be a direct hit,” he said.

“They have nowhere to run to. They are stuck.”

For Bennett and his family, sporadic phone conversations with the couple have become a crucial lifeline.

“These calls at the moment are a huge relief for us in the family because it’s honestly... proof of life,” he said.

‘Reassurance without detail’ 

One of the most frightening moments came when Bennett was speaking to his mother just after the war began.

There were explosions, mass panic at the prison and then the line suddenly went dead.

“I have never felt so broken, hopeless and dead,” he said.

“I couldn’t feel my body, literally couldn’t feel my body, couldn’t move, wanted to stand, couldn’t stand – like life had left my soul.”

For three hours he did not know whether his parents had survived.

“They were the longest three hours I’ve had.”

The conflict has also thrown their legal case into uncertainty, complicating efforts to appeal against the sentence.

Internet blackouts have also made it impossible to file through official channels.

Bennett voiced frustration with the British authorities, saying officials had offered what he described as “reassurance without detail” and had not given his parents a clear contingency plan if the conflict escalates.

“I feel let down by my government,” he said.

“Inaction is worse than action.”

‘Focused on survival’ 

When asked for comment, a Foreign Office spokesperson said the government considered the Foreman’s sentences “completely appalling and totally unjustifiable”.

They said the government would “continue to pursue this case relentlessly” until the couple were safely returned to the UK.

Beyond the immediate physical danger, Bennett said life inside Evin prison had become increasingly difficult.

The prison shop has not been restocked for over a week, Bennett has learned, leaving inmates uncertain how long food and essentials will last.

Speaking after a phone call with his mother during the interview, Bennett said she had shifted from panic into what she described as “fight mode” – focused on survival, day by day.

Foreman, a doctor, has begun helping to calm other inmates, coaching them to breathe and stay focused on getting through.

Asked what the past week had been like, Bennett paused.

“It’s been rough. I’ll be honest. It’s been rough,” he said. “It comes in waves.”

Some mornings, he said, he wakes up and for a few seconds forgets. Then he looks at his phone.

“It’s an instant reminder.” — AFP