What's happened
Three Iranian-born men have gone on trial at Woolwich Crown Court accused of conducting surveillance in London that prosecutors say assisted Iran’s intelligence service and aimed to enable serious violence against critics including two Iran International journalists and a UK lawyer. The defendants deny the charges and have pleaded not guilty.
What's behind the headline?
What the trial shows
-
Prosecutors have presented evidence that Mostafa Sepahvand, Farhad Javadi Manesh and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori carried out surveillance and reconnaissance around addresses linked to critics of Iran between August 2024 and early 2025. Courts have heard that the activity included photographs, videos, location visits and open-source research.
-
The Crown has said Sepahvand was prepared to carry out violence and that Manesh and Noori assisted planning. A recorded message read in court contains an offer to "finish off" a target for .
Motives and defences
-
The prosecution has argued the defendants acted for the benefit of Iran’s intelligence service to punish and silence critics. It has connected the case to a pattern of threats against dissidents who criticise Tehran.
-
Sepahvand has told the court he has acted under threat and fear, and has claimed he deliberately performed poor surveillance. The Crown has rejected that account and said he was motivated by payment and by a desire to have an Iranian conviction "fixed." Manesh and Noori have said they did not know they were serving Iranian intelligence.
Likely consequences
-
A conviction will increase legal scrutiny of foreign-state targeting of exiled critics in the UK and will strengthen the use of the National Security Act against espionage-style activity. It will also raise pressure on security services and broadcasters to review personal protection for at-risk journalists.
-
An acquittal would leave questions about how to prove direction, control or intent when surveillance is carried out abroad on critics and when defendants claim coercion.
What to watch for next
- The trial will hinge on digital evidence, messaging content and testimony about intent and direction. Expect the Crown to rely on communications, briefing documents and travel or phone-location data. Defence witnesses and interpreters will shape jurors' view of coercion claims.
How we got here
Prosecutors allege surveillance and reconnaissance took place between August 2024 and early 2025. Courts have heard messages and photos, a voice note promising
Our analysis
The coverage across outlets has been consistent on the core allegations but differs in emphasis. The Guardian reports that a voice note was played in court in which Sepahvand said: "Wherever they tell me, Ill go there and stand there. If the person is inside, they pay the and Ill finish him/her off," highlighting the prosecution's claim he expected payment and help fixing a conviction. AP News reproduced prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones's line that "their ultimate objective was that one or perhaps more of these targets would be subjected to serious violence," stressing the broader national-security frame and historical references to threats against critics of Iran. The BBC provided granular detail about specific photos, briefing documents and phone data, noting images of a journalist's flat and a hotel were found on Sepahvand's phone and that the defendants arrived in the UK by different routes after claiming asylum. The New Arab and The Times of Israel echo the prosecution's central argument that the surveillance targeted Iran International journalists and a UK lawyer and that the activity ran from August 2024 into early 2025. Bloomberg summarised the charges tightly, emphasising the counts of assisting a foreign intelligence service and preparing serious violence. Together, the sources show agreement on facts: surveillance, targets linked to Iran International and National Security Act charges. They diverge on tone: some emphasise the threat to journalists and historical context (AP, Guardian), while others focus on legal specifics and court procedure (BBC, Bloomberg). Direct court quotes and the repeated naming of prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones help the reader trace the prosecution narrative across outlets.
Go deeper
- What specific digital evidence will the Crown present to link the defendants to Iran's intelligence service?
- How will the court assess Sepahvand's claim that he acted under threat and deliberately did poor surveillance?
More on these topics
-
London - Capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom
London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of 9.1 million people in 2024. Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 15.1 million. London stands on the River...
-
United Kingdom - Country in Europe
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country located off the northwestern coast of the European mainland.
-
Iran (Islamic Republic of Iran) - Country in the Middle East
Iran, also called Persia, and officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered to the northwest by Armenia and Azerbaijan, to the north by the Caspian Sea, to the northeast by Turkmenistan, to the east by Afghanistan a
-
Iran International - Television station
Iran International is a Persian television station headquartered in London. It is aimed at Iranian viewers and broadcasts free-to-air by satellite.
-
Woolwich Crown Court - Courts in London, England
Woolwich Crown Court, located at 2 Belmarsh Road, Thamesmead is one of twelve Crown Court centres serving Greater London. It is adjacent to both HM Prison Belmarsh and Belmarsh Magistrate's Court.
-
Tehran - Capital of Iran
Tehran is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With a population of around 8.7 million in the city and 15 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most populous city in Iran and Western Asia, and has the third-largest m