UK Court Convicts Two Iranian Nationals of Espionage and Surveillance

A court in London has convicted two Iranian nationals of conducting surveillance on UK-based journalists and activists on behalf of Iran's intelligence services. Following a six-week trial at Woolwich Crown Court, Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, and Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, were found guilty of engaging in conduct likely to assist foreign intelligence operations aimed at inflicting violence.

The targeted individuals included Mojtaba Pourmohsen and Kambiz Hosseini, both journalists for the London-based broadcaster Iran International, which is banned by authorities in Tehran. The pair also monitored Jonathan Turner, a founding member of the organisation UK Lawyers for Israel. A third co-defendant, 57-year-old Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, was acquitted of all charges by the jury.

According to prosecutors, the defendants gathered intelligence using online research tools such as ChatGPT, visited physical addresses linked to their targets, and took photographs and video recordings. Prosecutors stated that both men had been promised financial rewards from Tehran, adding that Sepahvand was willing to carry out a violent attack against at least one target beyond gathering information.

The Metropolitan Police stated that this marks the fourth case in recent years involving direct threats against Iranian journalists operating within the United Kingdom. Police officials noted that foreign state actors increasingly rely on proxies, including foreign nationals with settled immigration status or individuals flying into the country temporarily. British authorities have also linked Iran to a separate recent plot targeting a United States-run military airbase in England.

The convictions follow the UK government's decision in July to ban Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps under expanded powers to counter state threats, establishing penalties of up to 14 years in prison for assisting the organisation. Sepahvand and Manesh are scheduled to be sentenced at the Central Criminal Court, known as the Old Bailey, on December 17.

Written by Freya Stensrud freya.stensrud@alpineweekly.com