Two Men Found Guilty in London of Spying on Journalists for Iran

Two Iranian men were convicted on Thursday, Nov. 12, at Woolwich Crown Court in London of assisting a foreign intelligence service, after prosecutors said they carried out surveillance on journalists who work for Iran International.

Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, was found guilty of assisting a foreign intelligence service, contrary to Section 3 of the National Security Act 2023, and of preparatory conduct, contrary to Section 18. Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, was found guilty of assisting a foreign intelligence service under Section 3 and was acquitted of preparatory conduct under Section 18. A third defendant, Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 57, was acquitted of all offences against him.

Surveillance of a channel critical of Iran

Prosecutors said the surveillance ran between August 2024 and March 2025 and targeted journalists at Iran International, a London-based Persian-language television station that is critical of Iran's government. Reuters reported that prosecutors said the work was done on behalf of Iran's foreign intelligence service in order to attack the journalists, as retribution for their criticism of the Iranian regime.

PA Media reported that the targets included Iran International journalists Mojtaba Pourmohsen and Kambiz Hosseini, and Jonathan Turner, a founder member of UK Lawyers for Israel.

Police said the convictions were the first time Iranian nationals had been convicted under the National Security Act 2023. Reuters reported that Vicki Evans, Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said Sepahvand was directed by the IRGC or by middlemen for Iranian intelligence.

What the devices showed

The Crown Prosecution Service said videos, images and text messages found on devices showed Sepahvand carrying out surveillance on targets' homes and work addresses in order to locate other journalists associated with the channel. Sepahvand had been promised tens of thousands of pounds, led the contact with handlers in Iran, and Manesh fed information, photographs and videos through to Sepahvand, the CPS said.

The CPS said Sepahvand admitted both the spying and the likelihood that his actions were capable of helping a foreign intelligence service, but claimed he was forced into it through fear of the consequences of not complying. Prosecutors had to prove his actions were intentional.

A message from Sepahvand to his contact in Iran asked for 150,000 pounds to finish a target off once the target had been found, according to the CPS.

"This was a calculated operation to spy on those critical of the Iranian regime," said Frank Ferguson, Head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division. "Cases like this show Iranian intelligence's willingness to use proxies to target the regime's critics abroad."

Ferguson said Sepahvand was willing to go beyond surveillance to commit serious violence against the targets, and that the defendants were stopped before any attack could take place.

PA Media reported that the jury deliberated for 19 hours and nine minutes, and that Sepahvand held his head in his hands when he was found guilty.

Sentencing in December

Both men will be sentenced on Dec. 17, 2026, at the Central Criminal Court, the Old Bailey, according to the CPS.