UK trial opens against three Iranians over alleged plot targeting dissident journalists

A trial has opened at Woolwich Crown Court in London against three Iranian men — Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 57 — accused of engaging in conduct likely to assist Iran's foreign intelligence service between August 2024 and March 2025, under Britain's National Security Act.

Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones told the court the men had surveilled journalists working for Iran International, a London-based Persian-language satellite channel known for its criticism of the Iranian government. According to the prosecution, the defendants investigated at least two of the channel's journalists, Mojtaba Pourmohsen and Kambiz Hosseini, as well as Jonathan Turner, a founding member of UK Lawyers for Israel, visiting addresses linked to them and photographing and filming locations in preparation for an attack that Sepahvand allegedly intended to carry out.

The prosecutor said the group's ultimate goal was to expose one or more of these individuals to serious violence, in retaliation for their criticism of the Iranian government and to intimidate and silence other critics. He also referenced Ayatollah Khomeini's 1989 order calling for the death of author Salman Rushdie over his novel "The Satanic Verses," and the 2022 stabbing attack against Rushdie in New York, noting that criticizing Iran carries real risk.

All three defendants deny the two charges against them. According to the prosecution, all three admit having visited the locations and taken photographs and video, but dispute their motives. Two of the men reportedly say they did not realise their actions could assist Iranian intelligence, while the third has acknowledged being aware of this but claims he acted under coercion or threat. The trial comes amid rising tensions between the UK and Iran, with prosecutors alleging a pattern of Tehran targeting its critics both at home and abroad.