Missing travel bloggers in Iran have been found again

Two New Zealand travel bloggers managed to leave Iran. It appears that help came from the government at home.

Sources in Wellington said that two New Zealand travel bloggers who disappeared from the scene after entering Iran about four months ago have left the country. A New Zealand official told AFP on Wednesday that the couple were “fine and in good health”. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said her government had “worked hard” for several months to ensure the couple’s safe departure.

Bridget Thakurai and her husband, Topher Richwaite, son of one of New Zealand’s richest men, entered Iran from Turkey in early July. Shortly thereafter, they stopped posting on their online channels, which caused great concern among fans, friends, and family.

Ardern said the pair had endured “difficult circumstances”. She was “delighted that they were unharmed”. It did not comment on the details of the negotiations with the Iranian government.

What exactly happened during her time in Iran initially remained unclear. Iranian officials told AFP that the couple had not been arrested or arrested.

People from western countries are regularly imprisoned by the Iranian government. Detainees are usually released after intense behind-the-scenes negotiations. In the past, prisoners have been exchanged, leading to accusations that Tehran is engaging in “hostage diplomacy”.