UK court finds two Iranian men guilty of spying for Iran

What the report says

Two Iranian men have been convicted in the United Kingdom of spying for Iran after a trial at Woolwich Crown Court in London, according to Al Jazeera. The court found Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, and Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, guilty of conduct likely to help Iran’s intelligence service. A third defendant, Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 57, was acquitted. Sentencing is scheduled for December 17 at the Old Bailey.

Al Jazeera reported that the case centered on surveillance of several people in the UK, including journalists working for the Persian-language broadcaster Iran International in London, as well as a founding member of UK Lawyers for Israel. Prosecutors said the activity was part of a broader effort to identify and threaten critics of the Iranian government. The article said the pair visited places linked to their targets, took photos and videos, and used online tools to research them.

According to the report, prosecutors also said the men were promised rewards for sending intelligence back to Iran, and that Sepahvand was prepared to carry out a violent attack against at least one target. London police described the case as part of a wider pattern of threats against Iranian journalists in the UK, while the government has recently taken additional steps against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. As background, cases involving alleged foreign surveillance on dissidents and journalists have become a growing security concern in Britain and other European countries.