Three Iranian Men Deny Spying on UK-Based Journalists for Iran, Court Told

Three Iranian nationals went on trial at Woolwich Crown Court in London on Thursday, accused of conducting surveillance on UK-based journalists on behalf of Tehran in a plot that prosecutors say was intended to expose the targets to "serious violence."

The defendants are Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, Farhad Manesh, 46, and Shapoor Noori, 57. All three were born in Iran and were residing in London at the time of the alleged offences. Each appeared in the dock with an interpreter and denies all charges brought under the National Security Act, including assisting a foreign intelligence service.

Prosecutors allege that Sepahvand was positioned to carry out the attack itself, while Manesh and Noori were responsible for surveillance and reconnaissance work. Presenting the Crown's case, prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones KC described the defendants' activities as "very obviously a form of spying," telling the jury that they had visited addresses linked to their targets, taken photographs and videos, and conducted online research on the individuals involved.

The court heard that the men's alleged targets were journalists working for Iran International, a Persian-language satellite broadcaster headquartered in London that is openly critical of the Tehran government. According to the prosecution, at least two journalists connected to the outlet were placed under surveillance. At least one of them, the Crown says, was to be subjected to serious violence as retribution and as a means of silencing and deterring others who might consider voicing criticism of the Iranian regime. Iran International, which broadcasts into Iran, has been designated a "terrorist organisation" by Tehran.

Jurors were told that images of one Iran International journalist, Mojtaba Pourmohsen, along with pictures of his workplace and a hotel where he had previously stayed, were discovered in what prosecutors described as a "briefing document" found on Sepahvand's mobile phone. Noori allegedly photographed the block of flats where Pourmohsen lived in Brentford, southwest London, in December 2024. Sepahvand and Manesh are also accused of travelling to the same location to take photos and videos.

The prosecution further alleged that the defendants held a "briefing sheet" concerning Jonathan Turner, a barrister and founding member of the group UK Lawyers for Israel. The inclusion of this material suggests the surveillance operation may have extended beyond journalists to individuals involved in pro-Israel legal advocacy, adding a further dimension to a case that already touches on the intersection of media freedom, national security and international espionage.

Addressing the question of motive, Jones told the jury that Sepahvand was not motivated solely by financial reward. "He quite explicitly wants something very particular in return for his work — he wanted his criminal conviction in Iran to be fixed," the prosecutor said, referring to a prior theft conviction the defendant holds in Iran. The court heard that Sepahvand was in contact with two men using Iranian telephone numbers, and that his claimed motivation for agreeing to take part in the operation was fear of the consequences of refusing. The prosecution dismissed that explanation as "an entirely bogus claim," arguing that he acted for money and for the chance to have his Iranian criminal record resolved in his favour.

Manesh and Noori, by contrast, are expected to tell the court that they were unaware they were conducting surveillance on behalf of Iran, according to the prosecution's outline of the case. Their defence will likely hinge on whether they understood the nature of the work they were allegedly performing and who ultimately benefited from it.

Details of the defendants' immigration histories were also aired at trial. All three claimed asylum in the UK and were granted temporary leave to remain. They arrived in the country between 2016 and 2022. Sepahvand entered in 2016 concealed in a lorry, while the other two arrived by small boat. These facts are likely to become a point of contention as the trial proceeds, given the sensitive political context surrounding asylum, immigration and national security in the UK.

The case is being heard under the National Security Act, a relatively recent piece of legislation that broadly criminalises activity carried out for or on behalf of a foreign state that is prejudicial to the safety or interests of the United Kingdom. Charges of assisting a foreign intelligence service carry significant penalties, and convictions can result in lengthy custodial sentences.

The trial continues.