Three Iranian Nationals Stand Trial in UK Over Plot to Attack Dissident Journalists

Three Iranian men have gone on trial at Woolwich Crown Court in London, accused of spying on dissident journalists and a pro-Israel activist on behalf of Tehran's foreign intelligence services. Prosecutors allege that Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 57, conducted extensive surveillance with the intention of facilitating acts of severe violence and intimidation against critics of the Iranian regime between August 2024 and March 2025.

Crown Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones told the jury that those who criticize Tehran do so "at their peril," emphasizing that the London-based Persian broadcaster Iran International had come under sustained threat. The defendants allegedly targeted journalists Mojtaba Pourmohsen and Kambiz Hosseini, as well as Jonathan Turner, a founding member of UK Lawyers for Israel. Jones stated that their "ultimate aim was that one of these individuals, and perhaps more than one, should be exposed to serious violence" to silence dissent. While all three admitted visiting targeted sites and gathering visual surveillance, they contested their motives; Javadi Manesh and Noori claimed ignorance of assisting Iranian intelligence, whereas Sepahvand argued he acted under duress.

The proceedings represent a significant prosecution under Britain's newly implemented National Security Act, legislation designed to equip authorities with broader powers to counter hostile state threats. Highlighting Tehran's history of extra-territorial operations, prosecutors drew parallels to the 1989 fatwa against Salman Rushdie, noting that Iranian authorities maintain a persistent track record of pursuing and intimidating perceived adversaries across European borders.

The trial unfolds amid sharply escalating diplomatic strains between London and Tehran over foreign interference and state-sponsored espionage on British soil. As the judicial process continues, British security services remain on high alert regarding threats directed at foreign-language media outlets operating within the United Kingdom.