Three Iranian Men Face UK Trial Over Alleged Spying on Dissident Journalists for Iran

Three Iranian nationals went on trial at Woolwich Crown Court in London this week, accused of conducting a surveillance campaign against UK-based journalists on behalf of Tehran's intelligence apparatus, in what prosecutors describe as an operation intended to enable "serious violence" against critics of the Iranian government.

The defendants are Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, Farhad Manesh, 46, and Shapoor Noori, 57. All three were born in Iran but had been living in London. They appeared in the dock with interpreters and deny every charge brought against them.

According to the prosecution's opening statement, Sepahvand allegedly played the role of the would-be attacker, while Manesh and Noori handled surveillance and reconnaissance work. The Crown's case is that the three men acted as a coordinated team carrying out tasks for a foreign intelligence service.

Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones KC told the jury that the men's targets were journalists working for Iran International, a Persian-language satellite broadcaster headquartered in London that is sharply critical of the Tehran government. At least two journalists connected to the channel were placed under surveillance, the court heard.

Jones said at least one of those journalists was to be "subjected to serious violence" as retribution, and that the attack was also intended to silence and intimidate others who might consider speaking out against the Iranian authorities. Iran International broadcasts into Iran and has been formally designated a "terrorist organisation" by Tehran, a move the channel's supporters view as an attempt to discredit its reporting.

Some of the charges fall under the National Security Act, including the offence of assisting a foreign intelligence service — a relatively new piece of UK legislation that prosecutors have increasingly used in cases involving alleged state-linked activity on British soil.

The prosecution described a pattern of conduct that included visiting residential addresses linked to the targets, photographing and filming those locations, and conducting online research on the individuals. Jones characterised the activity as "very obviously a form of spying."

Sepahvand, the court was told, does not dispute that he was involved in the operation. He claims, however, that he took part out of fear of what would happen to him if he refused. The prosecution dismissed that explanation as "an entirely bogus claim," telling jurors that his true motives were money and a desire to have a criminal conviction for theft in Iran "fixed."

According to the Crown, Sepahvand was in contact with two men who used Iranian telephone numbers during the relevant period. Manesh and Noori are expected to testify that they did not realise they were conducting surveillance on behalf of the Iranian state, a defence that, if accepted, would go to the heart of whether they possessed the intent required for the charges they face.

One journalist said to have been targeted was Mojtaba Pourmohsen. Prosecutors said images of him, his workplace and a hotel where he had previously lived were discovered in a "briefing document" found on Sepahvand's mobile phone. Noori is accused of photographing the block of flats where Pourmohsen lived in Brentford, southwest London, in December 2024, while Sepahvand and Manesh allegedly travelled to the same location to take photos and record video.

The court also heard that the men allegedly possessed a "briefing sheet" concerning Jonathan Turner, a barrister who was a founding member of the group UK Lawyers for Israel. The presence of that document in the case suggests the alleged surveillance was not confined to media figures, and may have extended to individuals involved in legal advocacy connected to Middle East issues.

Details of the defendants' immigration histories were also placed before the jury. All three claimed asylum and were granted temporary leave to remain in the UK. They arrived in Britain between 2016 and 2022. Sepahvand arrived in 2016 hidden inside a lorry, while the other two reached the country by small boat, according to the prosecution.

The case forms part of a broader pattern of concern in the UK about hostile state activity, particularly operations attributed to Iran. British security officials have warned in recent years that Tehran-linked actors have targeted dissidents, journalists and activists living in the country, and several related prosecutions have been brought under national security legislation.

The trial also underscores the vulnerability of exile media outlets that operate from London. Iran International has long been a focus of Tehran's hostility because of its reporting on the Iranian government and its reach among audiences inside Iran, and its journalists have previously reported threats against them and their families.

For the prosecution, the central question is whether the three men knowingly acted at the direction of a foreign state. For the defence, the trial will turn on the extent of each defendant's knowledge, and on Sepahvand's assertion that he was coerced rather than motivated by money or personal benefit. The jury will ultimately decide whether the evidence proves the charges beyond reasonable doubt.

The trial continues, with further evidence expected to be presented in the coming days.