Three Iranian nationals were produced in a London court on Saturday charged under the National Security Act, with conspiracy to violence and to assist a foreign intelligence service, which is Iran. The men 39-year-old Mostafa Sepahvand, 44-year-old Farhad Javadi Manesh, and 55-year-old Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori are said to have conducted activity to assist Iranian intelligence from August 2024 to February 2025, British police say.
The accusations come at a time when there are increased worries about Iranian-backed activity in the UK, with the government stepping up efforts to fight foreign interference. Iran’s actions were condemned by Interior Minister Yvette Cooper and vowed “separate action” to improve national security. “We will not stand by as state threats rise on our territory,” Cooper stated.
The detainees are the result of two large counter-terrorist operations in May that netted eight men, seven of whom were Iranian. Four of the men have since been let go without charge, and the probe continues. The authorities stated that the suspects had been thought to be plotting against a particular location, with ongoing police presence at that location.
At Saturday’s court hearing, prosecutors charged the three men with targeting Britain-based journalists affiliated with Iran International, a broadcaster which has been critical of the Iranian regime. Sepahvand was also charged with charges over surveillance and seeking to commit serious violence, while Manesh and Noori face charges over surveillance and conspiring to cause serious harm through other people.
The defendant is said to have arrived in the UK unlawfully between 2016 and 2022, including on small boats crossing the English Channel. Immigration is a delicate political topic in Britain, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer promising to tackle illegal crossings.
Iranian authorities rejected the accusations as unfounded but indicated a desire to collaborate in case of authentic evidence. The British government has put Iran in its top foreign influence warning, emphasizing suspicions regarding Tehran’s secret operations in the UK.
