New Zealand social media influencers who went missing in Iran for four months are safe and well after exiting the country.
Topher Richwhite and Bridget Thackwray were travelling the world in a van and documenting their journey for their hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram under the name Expedition Earth.
Their social profiles were not updated for nearly four months, sparking concern for their wellbeing as protests increased and unrest swelled in the country.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said this morning over the last several months, MFAT and the NZ Government had been working hard to "ensure the safe exit of two New Zealanders from Iran".
She said she couldn't give much more detail but said the pair had exited the country and that it had been "particularly difficult" for the pair involved.
Asked where they were detained, Ardern wouldn't go into detail other than to confirm the Government had been working hard to ensure their safe exit.
"Other details, I do think we should allow the family and the couple to speak to themselves."
She said she felt "great relief" upon learning of their exit from Iran.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) said via a spokeswoman that a couple that had received consular assistance in Iran were "out of the country".
They entered Iran during the first week of July and were not heard from again.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade had declined repeated requests to comment on the couple's situation since August.
Asked why MFAT requested media not publish details of the couple's situation, Ardern said there were several examples of when foreign nationals had come under difficult circumstances in Iran and that the Government and MFAT had worked hard to take on the "best possible advice" to prioritise the safety of the pair.
"The fact that they have been able to depart I think speaks to the fact that that was the right strategy."
The couple's last post on Instagram was on July 5 with stunning images taken from the Tas Yol passage in Turkey's Karanlık Kanyon.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta this morning updated the travel advice for New Zealanders in Iran, urging them to depart.
She did not reference Richwhite or Thackwray.
"The new advice for Iran reiterates the existing "Do Not Travel" warning, and adds that due to the potential for violent civil unrest, the risk of arrest or detention and the volatile security situation in the region, the risk to safety in Iran is significant," Mahuta said.
"The new advisory warns New Zealanders of the risk of arbitrary arrest or detention. The risk may be higher if they undertake activities that could attract the attention of local authorities."
Mahuta said the Government's ability to provide consular assistance in the case of arrest or detention in Iran was "extremely limited".
"New Zealanders in Iran are advised to avoid all demonstrations, rallies and large public gatherings as they could turn violent with little warning," she said.
"New Zealanders in Iran should stay away from any areas where police or security forces are deployed as their presence alone could be misinterpreted."
According to MFAT, there are 19 New Zealanders registered on SafeTravel as being in Iran.
It's understood many of them have dual citizenship for both New Zealand and Iran.
An MFAT spokesperson confirmed three messages had been sent to the 19 individuals in Iran since protests began, the first on September 27, the second on October 6 and the most recent one this morning.
All three messages warned about the protests and provided advice about what to do. The last two messages also included the recommendation to leave the country.
The couple had been travelling the world after deciding early on in their relationship to explore the planet in 2017.
They have since travelled to scores of countries in a jeep.
Before embarking on this latest leg of the years-long travel, they still had 33 countries left on the list to finish their expedition.
A day after their wedding they were due to head back to London to collect the vehicle dubbed Gunther, where it had been getting mechanical work done to prepare it for travelling through Europe and on to the Arabian deserts for their third and final leg.
The couple, who have been in all sorts of precarious situations in hot spots around the globe, were advised to get married before entering the Middle East. An escort was due to meet them at the border and was to accompany them throughout their Iranian leg.
The third leg of their travel was to take them through Iran according to a map on their expedition website.
The aim of the expedition was "to promote environmental issues as well as the teams and organisations that work to resolve them".
The team was to deliver talks at the Royal Geographic Society in London, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Richwhite, 34, listed his tasks as droning, editing/production, mechanics, media, city and night driving.
He described his background in entertainment management, both in events and the music industry.
Thackwray, 27, was to be involved in photography, partnership and brand relationships, PR, social media strategies and daytime driving.
Both had travelled extensively across the globe before embarking on the expedition.
Meanwhile, a Spanish man trekking from Madrid to Doha for the 2022 FIFA World Cup has not been heard from for three weeks after crossing into Iran, AP reports.
The experienced trekker, former paratrooper and fervent soccer fan, Santiago Sanchez, 41, was last seen in Iraq after hiking through 15 countries and extensively sharing his journey on a popular Instagram account over the past nine months.
His family last heard from him on October 2.
Iran has come under significant distress in recent weeks after the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, in the custody of that country's morality police.
Mahsa's death sparked protests against the Iranian-regime and up to 200 people are believed to have been killed and 1200 arrested in the demonstrations.
News outlet Iran International reported earlier today that the country has detained more foreign nationals in what it calls the "case of the French spies".
In May, two French nationals were arrested in Iran and forced to make televised confessions prompting pleas for their immediate release.
"Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris have been arbitrarily detained in Iran since May 2022, and as such are state hostages ... the staging of their supposed confessions is shameful, revolting, unacceptable and contrary to international law," said a French foreign ministry statement.
Iran's judiciary spokesperson Masoud Setayeshi said during a weekly press conference that those newly detained foreign nationals have been accused of "conspiracy and collusion" but did not specify how many have been arrested and what countries they were from.
Sextortion and hidden cameras are growing threats, says Detective Beard.