![Two British citizens detained in Iran Two British citizens detained in Iran](http://i0.wp.com/static.independent.co.uk/2024/04/30/13/e1ad397d6fda45bf8aecc12f54240ceaY29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzE0NTY1Mzkw-2.73049847.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1)
Two British citizens have been detained in Iran, the Foreign Office has said.
British officials are providing consular assistance to both of the individuals, a government spokesperson said.
The Foreign Office said it was in contact with Iranian authorities.
Iranian state media reported that two British nationals – a man and a woman – had been detained on security-related charges and were held in the southeastern city of Kerman.
Iran’s official news agency Irna published blurred images of the two individuals meeting with the British ambassador at the Kerman prosecutor’s office, supposedly on Wednesday evening.
The individuals were not identified in the photographs or the state media report, and it is unclear when they were detained.
Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners in recent years, mostly on espionage and security-related charges.
Rights groups and some Western countries have accused Tehran of seeking to win concessions from other countries by detaining individuals on trumped-up security charges. Tehran denies arresting people for political reasons.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are providing consular assistance to two British Nationals detained in Iran and are in contact with the local authorities.”
More follows on this breaking news story…