Three Iranians Stand Trial in UK Over Alleged Plot to Target Dissident Journalists

By Anna Kirchheim, Euronews Farsi, with AFP and AP

Published on 6 October 2026, 20:45 GMT+2

At the start of the trial, prosecutors alleged that the three men were Iranian spies who had been surveilling journalists working for a UK‑based Persian‑language news outlet critical of Tehran’s government, intending to physically harm and intimidate them.

Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 57, appeared before Woolwich Crown Court charged with engaging in conduct likely to aid Iran’s foreign intelligence service between August 2024 and March 2025.

Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones warned that criticizing Iran comes “at their peril,” noting that Iran International—a London‑based satellite channel opposed to Tehran—has repeatedly come under attack. He reminded the jury that Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for the death of Salman Rushdie in 1989 over *The Satanic Verses*, and pointed to the brutal 2022 stabbing of Rushdie in New York.

The defendants have denied the two charges brought against them under the UK’s National Security Act.

The legislation was enacted to grant British authorities expanded powers to counter threats from foreign states.

‘Ultimate aim’: expose them to ‘serious violence’

The trial opens amid heightened tensions between Britain and Iran, with prosecutors alleging that Tehran has repeatedly targeted its critics and opponents both domestically and abroad.

According to testimony presented at trial, the three defendants surveilled at least two Iran International journalists, visited their known addresses, and collected photographs and video footage in preparation for an attack that Sepahvand was alleged to have planned to execute.

The prosecution alleges that the trio spied on Iran International journalists Mojtaba Pourmohsen and Kambiz Hosseini, as well as Jonathan Turner, a founding member of UK Lawyers for Israel, as stated by prosecutor Emlyn Jones.

He added that their ultimate aim was to expose at least one of these individuals—possibly more—to serious violence, an act he described as retaliation for their criticism of the Iranian government and intended to sow fear and silence others.

He told the court that while all three defendants admitted visiting the locations and taking images, they disagree on their motivations.

According to the AP, citing the prosecution’s case, Javadi‑Manesh and Nouri said they did not realize their actions would aid Iranian intelligence, whereas Sepahvand acknowledged awareness but claimed he acted under coercion or threat.

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