Overview
- British courts found Mostafa Sepahvand and Farhad Javadi Manesh guilty on Thursday, November 12, 2026, for carrying out surveillance on people in the UK on behalf of Iran’s foreign intelligence service.
- Prosecutors secured convictions under the National Security Act after presenting evidence that the men conducted reconnaissance between August 2024 and March 2025 to enable attacks as retribution for criticism of the Iranian regime.
- Court reporting said the pair visited addresses linked to their targets, filmed and photographed locations, and used online research tools during the operation.
- Named targets included Iran International journalists Mojtaba Pourmohsen and Kambiz Hosseini and UK‑Lawyers for Israel founding member Jonathan Turner, while a third defendant was acquitted.
- The case highlights growing UK concern about foreign intelligence activity on its soil and could lead to tighter policing, stronger legal tools, and stepped‑up protection for exiled journalists and campaigners.