Two travel bloggers and social media influencers have been allowed to exit Iran following weeks of reported detention.
New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade broke the news after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a live broadcast on Facebook the government had been working hard to ensure the pair’s “safe exit”.
Newlyweds Topher Richwite, 34, and Bridget Thackwray, 27, have spent the last few years travelling in their branded Jeep and frequently posting shots of them across the globe, for a project called Expeditionearth.live.
When their feed went silent, with the last post 16 weeks ago, many of their 300,000 fans posted tonnes of worried messages asking about their safety but got no reply.
It was also reported that the New Zealand government refused media requests to comment on their whereabouts.
On Wednesday, Ms Ardern said officials had been "working hard" for several months to "ensure the safe" exit of the couple, who had endured "difficult circumstances".
"I’m delighted they’re safe," she said.
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 and said we should allow "other details" to be told by the family and the couple themselves.
Iranian officials deny that they were detained or arrested and New Zealand never implied any formal captivity.
However, a source familiar with the situation confirmed to the Guardian that the pair had been held by security forces in Iran.
Fifteen weeks ago, they filmed themselves crossing the border from Turkey into Iran and the Instagram stories saved on their profile are still available to view.
Footage shows Ms Thackwray covering her head with a scarf as they approach Iranian customs.
Then they report that they were summoned at the border for “an unexpected meeting request with the chief of immigration”.
They detailed the 45-minute meeting with the Chief of Customs as a “very strange experience”.
“We were told in advance that we weren't allowed to smile or cross our legs or fidget too much, which was pretty hard given how nervous we are", Mr Richwhite said to the camera.
In the clip, Ms Thackwray asks her husband for a kiss once they are allowed through the border. To which her husband replies: “you are not allowed to Iran” before giving her a peck on the cheek. She then sniggers and says "breaking the rules."
The last video uploaded to their account shows the Iranian flag, with the caption: “Ready for Iran”.
Topher Richwhite is the son of Kiwi rich-lister David Richwhite, one of the country’s richest men, an investment banker and partner.
In June, French national Benjamin Brière was sentenced to eight years in prison on spying charges, for flying a drone near the border.
In 2019, two Australian bloggers, Jolie King and Mark Firkin, were released from detention in Iran after being imprisoned for three months on spying charges for allegedly flying a drone to shoot pictures for their travel blog.
