Two Iranian men found guilty in UK of assisting Iranian intelligence
Two Iranian men have been convicted in a UK court for spying on dissident journalists on behalf of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. This marks the first conviction under new British laws designed to counter foreign state threats.
Why it matters
The case underscores rising geopolitical tensions and the use of domestic legal frameworks to combat foreign intelligence operations on British soil.
LONDON, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Two Iranian men were found guilty on Thursday of spying on dissident journalists in Britain on behalf of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, a case British police said reflected increasing hostile activity by Iran.
Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, and Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, were convicted of surveilling journalists who worked for Iran International, a Persian-language television station critical of Iran's government, between August 2024 and March 2025.
Sepahvand was also convicted of planning a violent attack on one or more of their targets.
Police said the convictions marked the first time Iranian nationals had been convicted under the law introduced in 2023 to counter threats from foreign states including Iran, which the authorities say have risen sharply.
Sepahvand was directed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or "middlemen" for Iranian intelligence, Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing Vicki Evans said.
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