UK court
Three Iranian men face UK trial over alleged spying for Tehran
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- Prosecutors allege their activities targeted journalists and others considered critics of Tehran.
- All three defendants deny the charges, with the trial expected to last about six weeks.
Three Iranian men appeared before a London court on Tuesday accused of carrying out surveillance and intelligence-gathering activities on behalf of Iran, including against journalists critical of Tehran.
Prosecutors told the jury that Mustafa Sepahvand, 41, Farhad Manesh, 46, and Shapour Nouri, 57, carried out surveillance and gathered information between Aug. 2024 and Feb. 2025.
The alleged activities included visiting addresses linked to people believed to have been targets and taking photographs and videos, the prosecution said.
Among those allegedly monitored were two journalists working for Persian-language broadcaster Iran International, which Tehran considers hostile to the Iranian government.
Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones said the defendants were accused of carrying out activities likely to assist a foreign intelligence service. He said the case involved surveillance of people considered to be of interest to the Iranian authorities.
According to prosecutors, Sepahvand was considered a potential candidate for carrying out an attack, while the wider case concerns alleged efforts on behalf of people linked to the Iranian government to target journalists and others viewed as opponents or critics of Tehran.
The defendants have acknowledged visiting some of the addresses and taking photographs and videos, but deny the charges.
Sabhoond said some of his actions were carried out under coercion and out of fear, while Manesh and Nouri said they did not know their activities could be used to assist Iranian intelligence services.
Prosecutors allege the purpose of the surveillance was to locate at least two journalists linked to Iran International and gather information that could be used to target them, describing it as part of an effort to retaliate against critics of the Iranian government and deter others from speaking out.
All three defendants, who live in London, face charges under Britain's National Security Act.
Sepahvand also faces a charge relating to surveillance, reconnaissance and open-source information gathering with the intention that it be used to carry out serious violence.
Manesh and Nouri face additional charges alleging that they carried out surveillance knowing, or intending, that the information could be used by others to commit serious violence.
All three men have pleaded not guilty. The trial is expected to last around six weeks.
The case comes amid growing concerns in Britain over alleged foreign intelligence operations targeting dissidents and critics living in the country.
The defendants remain presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
