Posted on 03/05/2026 7:21:06 AM PST by jonatron
More than five years after the high-profile detention of two Australian bloggers, another overland journey through Iran would end in far lengthier imprisonment. British nationals Craig Foreman and Lindsay Foreman, both in their 50s, entered Iran on December 30, 2024 during a round-the-world motorcycle expedition. They crossed from Armenia with valid tourist visas, an approved travel plan, and a licensed Iranian guide. Family members said the couple intended to transit the country en route to Pakistan before continuing toward Australia.
Their case followed an earlier incident that had already drawn international scrutiny. In July 2019, Australian travel bloggers Jolie King and Mark Firkin were arrested at gunpoint in Tehran province while documenting a long-distance overland trip in a Toyota Land Cruiser. Iranian authorities alleged that the pair had flown a drone near sensitive locations without authorization and suggested that espionage-related charges were being considered. King and Firkin were held for approximately three months before being released in October 2019 as part of a prisoner exchange, a case that underscored the potential risks facing independent travelers in politically sensitive regions.
On January 3, 2025, while traveling near the southeastern city of Kerman, Craig and Lindsay Foreman were detained by members of the infamous Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). No immediate explanation was provided at the time of arrest. In subsequent accounts relayed through family members, the Foremans said they were blindfolded, searched, and transported in an unmarked vehicle to an undisclosed location. They were placed in small cells and held separately without formal notification of the charges against them.
The couple later reported that they spent 56 days in solitary confinement. During that period, they were kept blindfolded for extended intervals and were not informed of the specific allegations underlying their detention.
(Excerpt) Read more at expeditionportal.com ...
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
I love riding my motorcycle to exotic, adventurous places, but I know where to draw the line.
There are even places in my own beloved USA I won’t ride.
(((Including the Trans Bronx “Express” way.)))
Common sense , nope , lets go
I hear ya, I was terrified driving my motorcycle in the hood - because of the way people drove their cars !
Sorry no sympathy. If you don’t have enough sense to avoid Iran you should expect what you get.
Visiting LI, husband wanted to stop first to see a friend in NJ and so near the George Washington Bridge, with my warnings, he took that ‘Trans Bronx “Express” way’ and it was such a nightmare he couldn’t even speak as he drove across that bridge and down that express way.
I know whereof ye speak.
Darwin approves.
You mean the Cross Bronx Expressway? Rough stretch of road but still safer than Iran and much of that part of the world.
+1
Driving in Daytona this week is interesting. We have about 250K motorcycles in town for Bike Week, in addition to all the locals doing their daily tasks. Generally speaking, they try to be “good” drivers, but typically drive either exactly the speed limit, or 5mph under it ... which causes locals a lot of frustration trying to get around them. Now add in the motorcycle penchant for driving between lanes and on shoulders ... it feels like driving on eggshells.
That said ... whereas most of the guys are old, fat, and have ZZTop beards, the wimmin are seeing just how few clothes they can get away with before being arrested. Never thought of pasties and thongs as motorcycle gear before.
Motorcycling, bicycling, hiking or driving through Iran (or Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan or others around that region) is just plain stupid unless you’re into suicide by torture, worst case. What the heck are they thinking?
Stupidity can be very dangerous.
And now it’s time for a related joke.
An Indian is riding his burro through the desert. Suddenly he hears someone cry out for help. The Indian looks up, and sees a cowboy firmly stuck on the top of a large cactus.
Indian: What are you doing up there?
Cowboy: I climbed up.
Indian: Why?
Cowboy: It seemed like a good idea at the time.
This was published a few days before Epic Fury.
I hope they make it out of Evin soon. I hope to hear about the prisoners being freed every day.
A 10 year detour is a risk associated with traveling through some nations.
I grew up in Daytona Beach in the 1940s and 50s. Bike Week meant motorcycles lined up and parked on both sides of Main Street. The angle you parked was the exact angle of the next bike. There was pride in several blocks of precision. Must have been left over from WWII training. There wasn’t anything close to indecency in the clothing of the riders...good-looking leather jackets was the thing. Also jazzing up the bikes with chrome, reflectors, mud flaps, fancy saddle bags, fox tails.
Oh, yes, safer than Iran, no contest but I would not take the GW bridge over again. Everyone drives extremely fast over that GW bridge and onto that expressway and to someone who has not driven it, it was pretty dangerous.
But Iran? Forget it!
Shocki9ng, shocking....
(((Including the Trans Bronx “Express” way.)))
I drive the Cross Bronx Expressway often. You’d be ok 👍
I don’t know if there is any particular good time to ride a motorcycle through Iran and Pakistan...... but they certainly picked the worst time.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.