Two Iranians convicted in UK for spying on behalf of the IRGC - Sarmad

(Royters) – A British court on Thursday convicted two Iranian men of spying on opposition journalists in the UK on behalf of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, in a case that police said reflects Iran’s growing hostile activities in Britain.

The court convicted Mostafa Sepehvand, 41, and Farhad Ghaedi Manesh, 46, of monitoring journalists working for Iran International, the Persian-language television channel that criticizes the Iranian government, between August 2024 and March 2025.

Sepehvand was also convicted of planning to carry out a violent attack on one or more of their targets.

Police said this is the first conviction of Iranians under the National Security Act, which came into force in 2023 to counter threats from foreign states, including Iran, which authorities say have increased significantly.

Vicky Evans, Counter-Terrorism Operations Coordinator, said Sepehvand received instructions from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard or from “intermediaries” linked to Iranian intelligence.

Britain has accused Iran of being behind a suspected plot targeting RAF Fairford airbase in September, which is used by the United States to launch strikes on Iran, and which subsequently led US President Donald Trump to withdraw B-1 bombers from the base.

The US indicted three men linked to the plot this week, while two others face charges in Britain.

Last month, Ken McCallum, head of Britain’s domestic intelligence agency (MI5), said operations linked to Iran led to more than 50 arrests last year, and that threats from states have quadrupled over the past decade. Evans said she expects this trend to continue.

Iran has repeatedly denied involvement in espionage or any such activity. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was “disturbed” by the arrest of Sepehvand and others in May 2025.

The Iranian Embassy in London said it “categorically rejects” allegations by prosecutors of Iranian state involvement, adding that “using claims related to security and judicial procedures to advance anti-Iran policies is unacceptable.”

UK: Rising State Threats

British police and intelligence agencies say Iran and Russia are increasingly using hybrid warfare methods, relying on criminal agents recruited online and motivated more by money than ideology to commit crimes.

Sepehvand said he was offered up to £150,000 ($198,855) to carry out a violent attack on at least one of the targets, which included journalists from Iran International and the CEO of the organization British Lawyers for Israel.

Sepehvand said he acted under duress but was convicted of assisting a foreign intelligence service and planning an attack.

Manesh was convicted of assisting a foreign intelligence service but acquitted of the second charge related to preparing an attack. Sentencing is scheduled for next month.

The court acquitted a third man, Shapur Ghaliehali Khani Nouri, 57, of both charges.

The trial marks the fourth case in Britain linked to Iran International since late 2023, following the imprisonment of two Romanians in July for stabbing a journalist outside his home in 2024.

A spokesperson for Volant Media, the parent company of Iran International, said in a statement that Thursday’s conviction “does not make our journalists’ lives safer as long as the Islamic Republic continues its campaign of death threats and violence against them.”