Two Lithuanian women detained in Iran; Vilnius withholds the reason

Lithuania's foreign ministry said on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, that two of its citizens, Daiva Zakažauskaitė and Erika Šlimaitė, have been detained in Iran. The two women's families had not heard from them since 11 October, and Lithuanian police had been searching for them.

According to the Lithuanian foreign ministry, the Islamic Republic officially informed Vilnius of the detention on Monday, 26 October. The ministry did not give the reason for the arrest and said it is seeking consular access to the two citizens. It is not yet clear in which city or prison they are being held.

Lithuanian prime minister: we will not make the reason public

Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius said he has more information about the reason for the detention but will not release it, because doing so could harm efforts to free them. He said active diplomatic work is under way to clarify the situation and secure the release of the two Lithuanian citizens.

Daiva Zakažauskaitė was born in 1992 and Erika Šlimaitė in 1983. According to Lithuania's national broadcaster, they had entered Iran from Turkey as tourists.

A pattern of hostage-taking

In recent years the Islamic Republic has detained many foreign and dual nationals, often on security or espionage charges, and used them as leverage in its dealings with Western governments. UN experts and several Western governments have condemned the practice; the Islamic Republic denies using prisoners for political ends.

The detention comes amid the Islamic Republic's war with the United States and the threat of a new large-scale strike; Lithuania is a member of the European Union and NATO.

Two Lithuanian tourists who went missing on 11 October are in the Islamic Republic's custody, and Vilnius is not disclosing why.