RFE
11 Sep 2019, 17:45 GMT+10
Two British-Australian women and an Australian man have been detained in Iran, reports say.
Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said on September 11 that it 'is providing consular assistance to the families of three Australians detained in Iran.'
It didn't provide additional information, citing privacy concerns.
Britain's Foreign Office later said that Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab 'met the Iranian ambassador this morning and raised serious concerns about the number of dual national citizens detained by Iran and their conditions of detention.'
The statements came after Australian and British media reported that two British-Australian women and the Australian boyfriend of one of them had been behind bars in Iran for some time.
Australia's ABC broadcaster reported that one British-Australian women has been in jail for nearly a year while a couple, a British-Australian citizen and her Australian boyfriend, were detained about 10 weeks ago.
Britain's The Times newspaper said the British-Australian woman was an academic and had been given a 10-year sentence, although the charges were not clear, dpa reported.
Ten-year terms are routinely given in Iran for spying charges.
The two women are believed to be incarcerated at the Evin prison in Tehran, the Irish Times reported. It's the same prison where a British-Iranian aid worker, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, has been jailed since 2016 on spying charges, The Times said.
The couple were detained by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps for camping in a military area around Jajrood in Tehran Province, according to BBC Persian.
The Australian government updated its travel advisory for Iran on September 9 stating 'due to the risk that foreigners, including Australians, could be arbitrarily detained or arrested,' travelers should reconsider their need to travel to the country.
The arrests come amid rising tensions between Iran and the West, after the United States withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.
With reporting by ABC Australia, the Irish Times, dpa, Reuters, The Times, and BBC
Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Republished with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036
Get a daily dose of Iraq Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Iraq Sun.
More InformationCONCORD, New Hampshire: A federal judge in New Hampshire issued a crucial ruling on July 10 against President Donald Trump's executive...
DUBAI, U.A.E.: A cargo ship flagged under Liberia, known as the Eternity C, sank in the Red Sea following an attack executed by Yemen's...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration has started sending some weapons to Ukraine again, just a week after the Pentagon told officials...
ECAULT BEACH, France: On clear days, the white cliffs of the United Kingdom, are visible from northern France, where men, women, and...
ATLANTA, Georgia: The United States is facing its worst measles outbreak in more than three decades, with 1,288 confirmed cases so...
In the past month alone, 23 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza—three more than the number of remaining living hostages held...
DUBAI, U.A.E.: A cargo ship flagged under Liberia, known as the Eternity C, sank in the Red Sea following an attack executed by Yemen's...
In the past month alone, 23 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza—three more than the number of remaining living hostages held...
New Delhi [India], July 13 (ANI): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said on Sunday that he would pitch his state to foreign...
Ras Al Khair [Saudi Arabia], July 13 (ANI): Union Minister of Health and Chemicals and Fertilisers JP Nadda visited Ma'aden's phosphate...
Geneva [Switzerland], July 13 (ANI): A recent report by the United Nations' World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has revealed that...
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], July 13 (ANI): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav is scheduled to go on an official visit to...