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Three Iranian men on trial in London accused of spying on Iran International journalists

Three Iranian men went on trial at Woolwich Crown Court accused of surveilling Iran International journalists for Iran's intelligence service, allegedly to prepare a violent attack. All deny the National Security Act charges.

4 outlets · 0L · 2C · 2R First reported Account updated
Image: The Straits Times
Image: BBC News
Image: The National
Image: The Jerusalem Post

1 / 4

The story, neutrally told

Mixed · 2Three Iranian men went on trial at Woolwich Crown Court in London on 6 October 2026, accused of spying on UK-based dissident journalists on behalf of Iran's foreign intelligence service. Mixed · 2The defendants are Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 57; each has denied two charges under Britain's National Security Act. Mixed · 2Prosecutors say the targets worked for Iran International, a Persian-language channel critical of Tehran and headquartered in London, and that the surveillance ran between August 2024 and March 2025.

Mixed · 2Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones told jurors the men researched at least two journalists, visiting linked addresses and taking photos and videos in preparation for an attack that Sepahvand was to carry out, with the aim of serious violence as retribution and to deter others. Right · 2Jones said that "eliminating hostile or critical voices ... has effectively become a staple policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran"; the trial comes amid growing tension between Britain and Iran. Centre · 2The BBC and The National name the journalists allegedly targeted as Mojtaba Pourmohsen, whose Brentford flats were photographed, and Kambiz Hosseini, host of the show The Program; briefing documents on Sepahvand's phone covered both.

Centre · 1The BBC adds that the men allegedly held a briefing sheet on barrister Jonathan Turner, a founding member of UK Lawyers for Israel. Mixed · 2The defence positions as relayed: Manesh and Noori say they did not know they were assisting Iranian intelligence, while Sepahvand accepts he knew but says he was bullied or threatened into it. Centre · 2The prosecution called Sepahvand's claim "an entirely bogus claim", saying he acted for money and to have a theft conviction in Iran "fixed"; he was in contact with two men with Iranian phone numbers.

Centre · 1All three were born in Iran, lived in London and had been granted temporary leave to remain after claiming asylum, arriving between 2016 and 2022.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.

Left0 outlets

No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Centre2 outlets

Framing
BBC and The National report the opening of the trial in detail, naming targets and the prosecution's account of motive.
Emphasis
Named journalists, briefing documents, Sepahvand's alleged motive, defendants' asylum backgrounds (BBC).
Leaves out or plays down
Neither stresses the wider UK-Iran tension context as much as the wire copy.
Charged language
“very obviously a form of spying”
For example
“"The defendants were engaged in what is very obviously a form of spying," he added.” — BBC News
“Mr Hosseini was monitored by Mr Noori and Mr Manesh” — The National

Right2 outlets

Framing
Straits Times and Jerusalem Post run Reuters copy centred on the prosecution's claim of Iranian state retribution against critics.
Emphasis
Iran's policy of silencing critics; UK-Iran tension.
Leaves out or plays down
Omit named targets, the alleged motive of money and conviction fixing, and the defendants' immigration backgrounds.
Charged language
“Iranian regime”“staple policy”
For example
“as retribution for their criticism of the Iranian regime” — The Straits Times
“has effectively become a staple policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran” — The Jerusalem Post