Two Iranian men who spied on journalists that worked for an international broadcaster banned by the Iranian regime have been convicted today.

Mostafa Sepahvand, 41 and Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46 were found to be working on behalf of the Iranian state and convicted of assisting a foreign intelligence service, contrary to the National Security Act 2023, following a trial at Woolwich Crown Court.

A third defendant, Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 57, was acquitted of all offences against him.

Frank Ferguson, Head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division said: “This was a calculated operation to spy on those critical of the Iranian regime.

“Sepahvand and Manesh were promised rewards to send intelligence back to contacts in Iran and Sepahvand himself was willing to go beyond surveillance to commit serious violence against their targets. Thankfully, the defendants were stopped before any attack could take place.

“Cases like this show Iranian intelligence’s willingness to use proxies to target the regime’s critics abroad.

“The CPS is alive to these ever-evolving threats and, through our work with Counter Terrorism Policing, stands ready to prosecute any hostile actors who might try and jeopardise our country’s security.”

Building the case:

Sephavand admitted both the spying and the likelihood that his actions were capable of helping a foreign intelligence service, but claimed he was forced into this through fear of the consequences of not complying.

Prosecutors had to prove that his actions were intentional and that he knew or ought to reasonably have known the reconnaissance was likely to be useful information to foreign spies who would then carry out hostile activity in the UK.

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 television channel.

Having been promised tens of thousands of pounds in pay, Sepahvand led the contact with handlers in Iran while Manesh was feeding information, photographs and videos through to Sepahvand.

Cell-site location data later placed him in a particular area in London in late 2024 when he was conducting surveillance on a separate target.

A number of photographs, Google searches and addresses were found on Sephavand’s mobile indicating that he was searching for information on a specific target who had already left their home due to security concerns and temporarily moved into a hotel in west London.

A message sent by Sepahvand to his contact in Iran showed him asking for £150,000 to “finish [the target] off” once they had been found.

The defendants will be sentenced at the Central Criminal Court on 17 December 2026.