UK Court Convicts Two Iranians in Espionage Case Targeting Journalists

A court in the United Kingdom has found two Iranian men guilty of engaging in conduct intended to assist Iran’s intelligence service. Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, was convicted on two counts, while Farhad Javadimanesh, 46, was found guilty on one count. A third defendant in the case, Shapour Ghaleh-Alikhani Nouri, was acquitted of both charges.

According to British prosecutors, Sepahvand and Javadimanesh carried out surveillance and gathered intelligence on individuals in the UK between July/August 2024 and February/March 2025. Among the targets of the operation were Iran International television journalists Kambiz Hosseini and Mojtaba Pourmohsen, as well as Jonathan Turner, co-founder of the organization UK Lawyers for Israel. The defendants visited addresses linked to these individuals, took photographs and videos, and used tools including ChatGPT to research information them.

Prosecutors stated that Sepahvand intended to carry out a violent attack against at least one of the targets and that Javadimanesh assisted him in planning it. However, Javadimanesh was acquitted of a separate charge related to preparing for the attack. Sentencing for both men is scheduled to be announced in November/December 2026.

The three men were arrested and charged in April/May 2025 under the UK’s National Security Act 2023. During the trial, Sepahvand admitted to conducting surveillance on the targets but claimed he did so under duress and deliberately collected inaccurate information—an explanation prosecutors rejected. According to court reports, Sepahvand had a prior conviction for theft in Iran. Prosecutors stated that he had been promised financial payment and the resolution of his legal case in Iran in exchange for his cooperation.

When the charges were initially brought, the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service noted that the case marked the first time three Iranian nationals had been prosecuted under the 2023 legislation for assisting a foreign intelligence service.