British Couple detained in Iran

Do I think they’re foolish? Absolutely. However, they’re an innocent carefree couple who may never see the light of day again. In that respect, I do feel sorry for them. All those countries are volatile. It wouldn’t enter my head to go to any of them. I hope they survive.

They were stupid to go against FO advice and now it will cost time and no doubt money by FO officials to try to help them. They will also be causing anguish to family and friends.
So many instances of people thinking they know best when they obviously don't!
What I can't understand is why they were issued with visas when the advice was not to travel???

JenniferEccles

I remember at the time thinking Nazanin, an Iranian woman was extremely foolish to ignore the advice not to travel from the Foreign Office.
Yes it was understandable that she wanted her parents to meet her baby but
being Iranian, she would have been more aware than anybody of the risks she and her baby were taking.

Likewise I am struggling to have any sympathy for this latest couple.

There was no advice not to travel in 2016, the advice was be cautious and not to travel to certain areas.

No-one on here claims to be perfect Doodledog, but perhaps most of us are not reckless and arrogant to the point of ignoring Foreign Office advice not to travel to a country where British nationals could face arrest and detention.

I am not perfect, I have made mistakes,but I owned them and took the consequences. What I would not do is go against FO advice which is very clear the county is dangerous for anyone with a British passport.
These people may have put other people in danger, they are 52 years not young travellers. They were arrogant and thought they knew best.
I hope they will be released to come home, but I do not sympathise.

I hope they will be released to come home, but I do not sympathise.
Exactly.

What will happen to those Iranians whose lives they have put in danger because of their actions?

The Foreign Office warns people not to visit, you pays your money and takes your chance - silly people.

No-one on here claims to be perfect Doodledog, but perhaps most of us are not reckless and arrogant to the point of ignoring Foreign Office advice not to travel to a country where British nationals could face arrest and detention.

Perhaps not, but I was talking about mercy, if compassion is out of stock. Also, I was (as I hoped was clear) talking more broadly than this incident when I mentioned people being perfect. If people have never made a mistake, or done something they regret, then yes, if they have no mercy they are in a position to throw metaphorical stones at others. If they are imperfect themselves, however, then maybe they should be careful when doing so.

I did things when I was young that were incredibly risky, it was absolute luck they didnt end badly, I would really hope if they had ended badly that someone would have helped, they would have been very much within their right to shout at me afterwards.

Exactly, Galaxy.

Galaxy

I did things when I was young that were incredibly risky, it was absolute luck they didnt end badly, I would really hope if they had ended badly that someone would have helped, they would have been very much within their right to shout at me afterwards.

What is young? This couple are both 52 , they should surely grown up by now, if they are that age.

I have no objection to helping them get out of this mess, but I think they should be asked to pay at least part of the cost of sorting this out, once they are free, as it was something they are old enough to know was a very risky and foolish thing to do.

Doodledog

*No-one on here claims to be perfect Doodledog, but perhaps most of us are not reckless and arrogant to the point of ignoring Foreign Office advice not to travel to a country where British nationals could face arrest and detention.*

Perhaps not, but I was talking about mercy, if compassion is out of stock. Also, I was (as I hoped was clear) talking more broadly than this incident when I mentioned people being perfect. If people have never made a mistake, or done something they regret, then yes, if they have no mercy they are in a position to throw metaphorical stones at others. If they are imperfect themselves, however, then maybe they should be careful when doing so.

I don't think we're throwing stones and I'm sure most of us have done foolish things in our youth, but I for one am just astonished that two intelligent people in their 50s should disregard Foreign Office advice not to go there.
What were they thinking? What did they expect?

I have plenty of compassion and hope they are released soon to return home but my compassion is rather limited in this case.

Mines even more limited! Yes we can all make mistakes but their decision was carefully planned not decided just before they entered Iran.They are two truly stupid people.

I posted earlier, my belief is this couple were foolish to travel in Iran. They’re clearly not ‘as thick as two short planks’ . They made a choice it’s clear none posting here would have made. It’s no surprise it blew up in their faces.
The absence of compassion, the level of cold criticism of them and of N Radcliffe, in her case often based on incorrect back ground information, suggests compassion and mercy are in short supply on gransnet.

compassion and mercy are in short supply on gransnet.
That is just plain wrong and really rather insulting

There is compassion aplenty on Gransnet but why does this couple deserve anyone to lose a minute's sleep over them?

I do, however, feel concerned about Iranians who might find themselves in trouble with the authorities for helping them.
I feel compassion for women and others who are suffering in thst country through no fault of their own.

Ok I apologise , we do see compassion at times on Gransnet but not so much on this thread

Compassion and mercy are never in short supply on Gransnet, where compassion and mercy is appropriate.

And, yes, we all make mistakes, but when someones 'mistake' is to ignore advice from all around them including the British government and when British people have been imprisoned for years in Iranian prisons on trumped up charges - and there remain UK citizens in Iran's prisons, then their behaviour passes well beyond being described as a 'mistake', it is rank stupidity.

The Foreign Office:

"Having a British passport or connections to the UK can be reason enough for the Iranian authorities to detain you," the advice says.

Exactly which part of that did they not understand?

I’m not suggesting they didn’t understand. They made a deliberate choice for reasons I couldn’t possibly understand or condone.

They "see the good in people" is what it may have boiled down to.

I know people in real life like that.

They see it as a virtue. Something that others should be admiring them for.

fancythat

They "see the good in people" is what it may have boiled down to.

I know people in real life like that.

They see it as a virtue. Something that others should be admiring them for.

Exactly this 👏

Ok. They behaved stupidly. Even 'rankly' so.

They didn't hurt anyone, outside of imaginative ideas about people they've spoken to being in trouble, and people do much worse things out of malice, rather than folly, or seeing the good in people.

It's fine - we see things differently. I can't imagine leaving people to their fate if they can be helped, and if their families 'have the nerve' to ask for money I don't blame them. I would do the same if a family member did the same, even though I'd be furious with them. Others wouldn't. That's ok too.

I didn't say that they should be left to their fate, did I?

And I didn’t say you did. I was talking about the thread as a whole. There is really no need for this. People have different views on forgiveness etc, which is fine.

I have said I hope they leave Iran soon, but they are paying for their arrogance, so no, I do not feel sympathy.
I am worried for the people in Iran who became friendly with them though they too could have been detained.

'seeing the good in people' as an excuse is a form of emotional blackmail.

'You have got to get me out of this mess I have got myself into because I only did it because I have an excess of virtue and only see the good in people.'

Its a bit like walking straight across a busy road without warning and expecting the traffic to come to a screaming halt and avoid you, even if it means injury and damaged cars because you always see the good in people and know the cars will stop rather than run you over as you deserve.