Two Iranians Convicted in UK of Spying on Journalists and Lawyer for Iranian Intelligence

LONDON (Terror Monitor) — A British court has convicted two Iranian nationals of assisting Iranian intelligence by conducting surveillance on journalists working for a London-based Persian-language broadcaster and a lawyer, in a case involving an alleged plot to carry out violent attacks against critics of Tehran.

Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, and Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, were found guilty on Thursday, November 12, following a six-week trial at Woolwich Crown Court in south London. A third defendant, 57-year-old Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, was acquitted of all charges.

According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), both convicted men were found guilty of assisting a foreign intelligence service under the National Security Act 2023. Sepahvand was also convicted of a separate charge involving preparatory conduct intended to facilitate serious violence in Britain.

The case centred on surveillance operations carried out between August 2024 and March 2025 against individuals critical of the Iranian government. Prosecutors said the operation was conducted on behalf of Iranian intelligence, with the aim of gathering information that could facilitate attacks against the targets.

Journalists and lawyer among the targets

The targets included Mojtaba Pourmohsen and Kambiz Hosseini, journalists associated with Iran International, a London-based Persian-language broadcaster that is critical of Iran's government and banned by authorities in Tehran.

Another target was Jonathan Turner, a founding member of UK Lawyers for Israel. Prosecutors also identified a person working in the media production sector among those under surveillance.

Evidence presented during the trial showed that the defendants visited locations associated with their targets, including homes and workplaces, and collected photographs and videos. Investigators also recovered documents containing personal and identifying information, including addresses, vehicle details and other information that could help locate the individuals.

The defendants used online searches and artificial intelligence tools, including ChatGPT, to gather further information about their targets, according to reports by the Associated Press and Sky News.

£150,000 allegedly sought for violent attack

Prosecutors presented messages and other digital evidence showing that Sepahvand maintained contact with individuals in Iran who were allegedly directing the surveillance operation.

The Crown Prosecution Service said Sepahvand had been promised tens of thousands of pounds for passing intelligence to contacts in Iran, while Manesh supplied him with photographs, videos and other information gathered during the surveillance.

A message recovered from Sepahvand's phone showed that he had asked an Iranian contact for £150,000 to “finish [the target] off” once the individual had been located, according to the prosecution.

Reuters reported that Sepahvand had been offered up to £150,000 to carry out a violent attack against at least one of the targets.

Prosecutors also told the court that Sepahvand had researched the whereabouts of a target who had already left their home because of security concerns and temporarily relocated to a hotel in west London.

The CPS said videos, photographs, text messages, Google searches and mobile phone location data helped establish the defendants' surveillance activities.

Different verdicts for the three defendants

Although both Sepahvand and Manesh were convicted of assisting a foreign intelligence service, the jury reached different conclusions on the separate charges relating to preparations for serious violence.

Sepahvand was found guilty of both offences, including the charge concerning preparations for a violent attack.

Manesh was convicted of assisting a foreign intelligence service but acquitted of the separate preparatory-conduct charge. Noori was cleared of all charges against him.

The CPS said Sepahvand admitted carrying out surveillance and acknowledged that his actions could assist a foreign intelligence service. However, he claimed he had acted under pressure because he feared the consequences of refusing to comply.

Prosecutors had to establish that his actions were intentional and that he knew, or reasonably should have known, that the information he collected could be useful to a foreign intelligence service for hostile activities in Britain.

Police warn of growing use of proxies

British counter-terrorism officials described the case as part of a wider pattern of foreign states using intermediaries or criminal proxies to target individuals inside the United Kingdom.

Vicki Evans, a senior official in Counter Terrorism Policing, said Sepahvand had been directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) or intermediaries working for Iranian intelligence.

According to Reuters, police said the convictions marked the first time Iranian nationals had been convicted under the National Security Act 2023, legislation introduced to address threats posed by foreign states.

The Associated Press reported that the case was the fourth in recent years involving direct threats against journalists associated with Iran International. British police said they were continuing efforts to protect the broadcaster's staff.

The verdicts came amid broader concerns in Britain about alleged Iranian-linked hostile activities. Reuters reported that MI5 chief Ken McCallum said more than 50 arrests had been linked to Iran-related operations over the preceding year, while British authorities have also investigated suspected plots involving military and other sensitive sites.

Iran rejects allegations

Iran has repeatedly denied involvement in espionage or hostile activities in Britain.

Following the arrests in May 2025, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said he was disturbed by the detentions. Iran's embassy in London has also categorically rejected allegations that the Iranian state was involved in violent activities or incidents in the United Kingdom, describing the use of security allegations and judicial proceedings against Iran as politically motivated.

The CPS said the defendants had been stopped before any attack could take place.

Both convicted men are due to be sentenced at the Central Criminal Court, commonly known as the Old Bailey, on December 17, 2026.