Kiwis missing in Iran for months now safe and well

Topher Richwhite and Bridget Thackwray, Kiwi travel influencers, are now safe and well after...
Topher Richwhite and Bridget Thackwray, Kiwi travel influencers, are now safe and well after going missing in Iran. Photo: Supplied
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.

MFAT said via a spokeswoman that a couple that had received consular assistance in Iran were "out of the country" and were "safe and well".

Their social profiles were not updated for nearly four months, sparking concerns for their wellbeing.

They entered Iran during the first week of July and hadn't been heard from since.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade declined to comment on the couple's situation since August.

It is understood that MFAT believed any news reporting on the couple's situation in Iran would pose a serious risk to their safety.

The couple's last post on Instagram was on July 5 with stunning images taken from the Taş Yol passage in Turkey's Karanlık Kanyon.

In a statement this morning, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta updated the travel advice for New Zealanders in Iran, urging them to depart.

Topher Richwhite and Bridget Thackwray Expedition have 300,000 followers on Instagram. Photo:...
Topher Richwhite and Bridget Thackwray Expedition have 300,000 followers on Instagram. Photo: Supplied
The statement 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."

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.

Bridget Thackwray and Topher Richwhite married in New Zealand in July ahead of their travels...
Bridget Thackwray and Topher Richwhite married in New Zealand in July ahead of their travels through the Middle East. Photo: Supplied
The aim of the expedition was "to promote environmental issues as well as the teams and organizations that work to resolve them".

The team was to deliver talks at the Royal Geographic Society in London, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Richwhite listed his tasks as droning, editing / production, mechanics, media, city and night driving.

The 34-year-old described his background in entertainment management, both in events and the music industry.

His 27-year-old wife 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, 41-year-old Santiago Sánchez, was last seen in Iraq after hiking through 15 countries and extensively sharing his journey on a popular Instagram account over the last nine months.

His family last heard from him on October 2.

These incidents come as Iran has come under significant distress in recent weeks following death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of that country's morality police.

Masha'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.