Three Alleged Iranian Spies Stand Trial in London for Plotting Violent Attacks

Three men accused of operating as operatives for Iran's foreign intelligence service have gone on trial at Woolwich Crown Court in London. Prosecutors allege that the trio conducted extensive surveillance on UK-based journalists critical of Tehran's theocratic regime and plotted to inflict severe physical harm on at least one target between August 2024 and March 2025.\n\nProsecutor Bill Emlyn Jones told the jury that Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 57, engaged in actions designed to facilitate state-sponsored retribution. According to evidence presented in court, messages revealed that Sepahvand offered to "finish off" a target for £150,000 ($199,000). The targets included Iran International journalists Mojtaba Pourmohsen and Kambiz Hosseini, as well as Jonathan Turner, a founding member of UK Lawyers for Israel. Intercepted communications demonstrated that the suspects tracked intimate personal details, including the make of Hosseini's car and his dog's name.\n\nEmlyn Jones emphasized that individuals scrutinize Tehran "at their peril," citing historic precedents of extraterritorial violence, including the 1989 fatwa against Salman Rushdie and his subsequent 2022 stabbing in New York. The prosecution argued that London-based satellite channel Iran International has faced sustained operational threats due to its reporting on the Iranian government, highlighting an escalated pattern of foreign intelligence operations on British soil meant to silence dissent.\n\nAll three defendants have pleaded not guilty to charges of engaging in conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service. Sepahvand claimed he acted under duress after facing threats and intentionally botched the surveillance, an explanation prosecutors dismissed as "entirely bogus." Manesh and Noori maintained they were unaware their handlers represented Iranian state intelligence. The trial continues as British authorities maintain heightened vigilance regarding foreign interference.