Three Iranian Men on Trial in London for Spying on UK Journalists

According to a report from BBC UK, three Iranian men are currently on trial in London, accused of acting as spies for Iran against UK-based journalists who were reportedly being targeted for the infliction of "serious violence."

The prosecution stated that Mostafa Sepahvand, aged 41, was slated to carry out the attack, while Farhad Manesh, 46, and Shapoor Noori, 57, were responsible for the surveillance and reconnaissance. All three individuals were born in Iran but were residing in London.

Sepahvand was reportedly in communication with two individuals possessing Iranian telephone numbers. The prosecution anticipates that Manesh and Noori will claim they were unaware they were conducting surveillance on behalf of Iran.

All three defendants face charges under the National Security Act, which includes the allegation of "assisting a foreign intelligence service."

Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones KC informed the Woolwich Crown Court that the targets were journalists affiliated with Iran International, a Persian-language satellite channel based in London that is critical of the Tehran regime. Jones stated that at least two journalists connected to Iran International were targeted in the surveillance.

He asserted that at least one of these journalists was intended to be subjected to "serious violence" as a form of retribution, with the aim of silencing and deterring others who might express criticism. Iran International, which broadcasts into Iran, has been designated as a "terrorist organisation" by Tehran.

Jones told the jury that the evidence presented demonstrated that the three defendants conducted surveillance and reconnaissance, which involved visiting addresses associated with their targets, taking photographs, recording videos, and performing online research on them. He added that the defendants were engaged in what he described as a clear form of spying.

The men were also allegedly in possession of a "briefing sheet" concerning a barrister named Jonathan Turner, who is a founding member of UK Lawyers for Israel.

One Iran International journalist who was allegedly targeted was Mojtaba Pourmohsen. Images of his workplace and a hotel where he had stayed were discovered within a "briefing document" on Sepahvand's mobile phone. The prosecution alleged that Noori photographed the block of flats where Pourmohsen lived in Brentford, southwest London, in December 2024. It was also alleged that Sepahvand and Manesh visited that location to take pictures and videos.

Jones explained that Sepahvand's stated motivation was to resolve a criminal conviction he held in Iran for theft. He informed the jury that Sepahvand's motivation extended beyond financial gain, as he explicitly desired his criminal conviction in Iran to be resolved in exchange for his work.

The three men, each represented by an interpreter in the dock, deny all the charges. They were all granted temporary leave to remain in the UK after submitting asylum claims, with their arrivals in the UK occurring between 2016 and 2022. Sepahvand arrived in 2016 having been concealed in a lorry, while the other two arrived via small boats. The trial is ongoing.