Two Iranian men found guilty of spying on UK journalists

Summarised from 11 outlets · 14 reports · Updated 13 Nov, 00:28 · Archive

Two Iranian men have been found guilty of spying on journalists and a lawyer in the UK on behalf of Iranian intelligence.

Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, and Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, were found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court on Thursday of engaging in conduct likely to assist Iran's intelligence service. The jury deliberated for 19 hours and nine minutes before reaching their verdict. A third defendant, Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 57, was acquitted of the same charge.

The two men conducted surveillance and reconnaissance between August 2024 and March 2025 in an attempt to inflict violence on their targets. These included journalists Mojtaba Pourmohsen and Kambiz Hosseini, who work for the London-based Persian broadcaster Iran International, and Jonathan Turner, a founding member of UK Lawyers for Israel. Police seized 534GB of data showing they were given documents including pictures of targets, their work addresses, the make and colour of their cars and the names of pets.

The defendants visited addresses linked to their targets, took photographs and videos, and used platforms such as ChatGPT to conduct further research. Sepahvand used ChatGPT to find Pourmohsen's home address. They communicated with contacts in Iran via WhatsApp, including an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander called Amin.

The prosecution said Sepahvand intended to physically carry out a violent attack against at least one of the targets. He was promised £150,000 to carry out serious violence and help to "finish off" Pourmohsen, though he was arrested on 3 May before locating any of his targets and had received only £5,000. Manesh assisted in the planning of the operation. One defendant claimed he did not know he was working to assist Iranian intelligence; another said he was acting under duress after his family was threatened.

Both men had entered the UK illegally. Sepahvand arrived in the back of a lorry in 2016 and described himself as a former gym owner and body builder with a criminal past. Manesh arrived in a small boat between 2016 and 2022. Both were granted temporary leave to remain in the UK after claiming asylum.

Frank Ferguson, chief Crown prosecutor of the CPS'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."

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, the senior national co-ordinator for Counter-Terrorism Policing, said it was the first time ChatGPT case search history had been presented in a state threat case. London's Metropolitan Police said this was the fourth case in recent years involving direct threats to Iranian journalists in the UK. Sentencing is scheduled for mid-December. This is the first conviction under the National Security Act of 2023.

How it is being reported

• Iranian men guilty of spying on British journalistsTwo Iranian men were convicted under Britain's National Security Act for spying on dissident journalists.Al Jazeera · 12 Nov, 19:38
• Pair’s spying conviction shows Iranian intelligence willing to use proxies – CPSMostafa Sepahvand, 41, and Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, were found guilty of engaging in conduct likely to assist Tehran’s intelligence service.Evening Standard · 12 Nov, 18:07
• UK court convicts 2 Iranian men of spying on journalistsA London court has found two Iranian citizens guilty of surveilling reporters for a Persian-language television station critical of Iran's goverment. One was also convicted of planning a violent attack against them.DW News · 12 Nov, 15:23
• UK court finds two Iranian men guilty of spying for IranThe pair were promised rewards to send intelligence back to Iran, while one was prepared to commit a 'violent attack'.Al Jazeera · 12 Nov, 15:15
• Iran's shadow operations stretch across Europe as chilling spy convictions expose Tehran's reachTwo Iranian men convicted of spying in Britain as France accuses the IRGC of cyberattacks and UAE officials warn of Iranian sleeper cells abroad.Fox News · 12 Nov, 15:10
• Pair’s spying conviction shows Iranian intelligence willing to use proxies – CPSMostafa Sepahvand, 41, and Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, were found guilty of engaging in conduct likely to assist Tehran’s intelligence service.Evening Standard · 12 Nov, 15:10
• Two men guilty of spying for Iran as experts warn of increasing threat to UKTwo Iranian men convicted in first court result for Britain's National Security Act as experts warn the risk of Tehran-sponsored attacks within the UK is on the riseThe Mirror · 12 Nov, 14:54
• Two men found guilty over Iranian attempts to ‘eliminate’ UK-based journalistsMostafa Sepahvand and Farhad Javadi Manesh carried out surveillance in an effort to inflict violence on three people Two men of Iranian origin who were hired through social media as part of a plan to “eliminate” journalists in the UK have been found guilty of engaging in conduct likely to assist Tehran’s intelligence services. Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, and Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, carried out surveillance and reconnaissance between August 2024 and March last year in an attempt to inflict violence on “subjects” in the UK. Continue reading...Guardian World · 12 Nov, 14:07
• Pair’s spying conviction shows Iranian intelligence willing to use proxies – CPSMostafa Sepahvand, 41, and Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, were found guilty of engaging in conduct likely to assist Tehran’s intelligence service.Evening Standard · 12 Nov, 13:18
• Two Iranian men found guilty of spying on journalists and lawyer for Iran’s intelligence serviceSepahvand intended to physically carry out a ‘violent attack’ against at least one of the targetsThe Independent · 12 Nov, 12:52
• Two men found guilty of spying for Iran over plan to target UK-based journalistsMostafa Sepahvand and Farhad Javadi Manesh are convicted of engaging in conduct likely to assist Iranian intelligence.BBC News · 12 Nov, 12:00
• Two Iranians found guilty of spying on journalists in UK as part of plot against dissident TV stationMostafa Sepahvand, 41, and Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, carried out surveillance and reconnaissance between 2024 and March last year in a bid to inflict violence on 'subjects' in the UK.Daily Mail · 12 Nov, 11:47
• Two Iranians convicted of spying for their country after entering Britain illegallyTwo Iranian nationals who arrived in the UK illegally have been found guilty of spying for their country in the first case of its kind.Sky News · 12 Nov, 11:36
• Two men found guilty of spying on journalists in Britain for IranTwo Iranian men have been found guilty of spying on dissident journalists in Britain on behalf of Iranian intelligence. Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, and Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, were found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court of engaging in conduct likely to assist Iran’s intelligence service this morning. The pair carried out surveillance between August 2024 and March 2025, in an attempt to inflict violence on "subjects" in the UK. The "subjects" include Mojtaba Pourmohsen and Kambiz Hosseini, working for London-based Persian broadcaster Iran International, and Jonathan Turner, a founder member of UK…GB News · 12 Nov, 11:30

In this story: Mostafa Sepahvand · Farhad Javadi Manesh · Mojtaba Pourmohsen · Kambiz Hosseini · Jonathan Turner · Iran International · Woolwich Crown Court · UK

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log