Two Iranian Men Convicted in London of Spying on Tehran's Critics for Iranian Intelligence

Two Iranian men were found guilty Thursday at Woolwich Crown Court in London of spying on critics of the Iranian regime for Tehran's intelligence service, in a case British prosecutors said was meant to punish journalists for their reporting, Reuters and the BBC reported.

Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, was convicted of two offences under Britain's National Security Act, and Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, was convicted of one, according to Reuters. A third defendant, Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 57, was cleared after jurors deliberated for more than 19 hours, the Press Association reported in a story carried by The Jewish Chronicle.

Prosecutors said the men acted for Iran's foreign intelligence service so the targets could be attacked "as retribution for their criticism of the Iranian regime," Reuters reported.

The targets included journalists at Iran International, the London-based Persian-language broadcaster that is critical of Tehran, among them Mojtaba Pourmohsen and Kambiz Hosseini, the Evening Standard reported. The Jewish Chronicle said Jonathan Turner, a founding member of the group UK Lawyers for Israel, was also targeted. The National noted that Hosseini, a satirist, hosts a nightly program on the channel.

Between August 2024 and March 2025, the men visited addresses tied to the targets, took photographs and video, and carried out online research, according to the Standard, which said there was no dispute in court that the surveillance took place. Prosecutors said Sepahvand intended to carry out a violent attack on at least one of the people being watched and that Manesh helped plan it, though Manesh and Noori were cleared of a separate count of surveillance with intent to commit serious violence, the Chronicle reported. Jurors heard a voice note in which Sepahvand offered to take out a target for 150,000 pounds, and police believed any attack would likely have used a simple weapon such as a knife, according to the same report.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, Britain's senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism policing, said Sepahvand was directed by Iran's Revolutionary Guards and that the case "highlights the continuing and increasing threat to the UK from Iran," The National reported. Police called it the first successful prosecution of Iranians under the National Security Act, which took effect in 2023, the outlet said.

Frank Ferguson of the Crown Prosecution Service's counter-terrorism division described a deliberate operation against the regime's critics, saying, "Thankfully, the defendants were stopped before any attack could take place," the Chronicle reported. Prosecutors rejected Sepahvand's claim that he had been threatened into the work, arguing he did it for money.

The Home Office has said all three men entered Britain irregularly, by small boat or hidden in vehicles, between 2016 and 2022, AFP reported when they pleaded not guilty last year. Tehran has repeatedly denied spying in Britain, The National noted.

The Chronicle described the case as the fourth prosecution involving people who targeted Iran International staff or its London offices, a list that includes the 2024 stabbing of journalist Pouria Zeraati outside his home. Reuters reported that British police said the case reflected growing Iranian activity in the country.

For those who prize a free press and the safety of people who speak out against tyranny, the verdict is a reminder that the regime's reach does not stop at its borders. Sepahvand and Manesh are due to be sentenced at the Old Bailey on Dec. 17.