According to Iran International's report, at a hearing that began Tuesday at Woolwich Crown Court in London, prosecutors alleged that three Iranian defendants conspired to surveil and target at least two journalists associated with Iran International. The prosecution told the jury that prosecutor William Emlyn Jones characterized the defendants' actions as constituting "clearly a form of espionage."
According to the report, the defendants—referred to by initials as M.S. (41), F.J.M. (46), and Ş.Q.N. (57)—are being tried under Britain's 2023 National Security Act on charges of "assisting a foreign intelligence service"; prosecutors contend this service is linked to the Islamic Republic. The prosecution alleges that M.S. conducted surveillance and open-source research targeting an individual in England for the purpose of committing "serious violence," while the other two defendants conducted surveillance to assist in violence against other individuals. According to prosecutors, the ultimate objective was to subject one or more people to serious violence.
According to Iran International's report, the defendants attempted to identify the targets' residences and workplaces, their daily routines, people they spent time with, and floor plans of relevant buildings; phone examinations showed the surveillance operation had been ongoing since mid-2023. The three defendants were arrested in their London homes in May 2024 and were the first Iranian nationals charged under this law. According to eNCA, the defendants denied the charges in an earlier pre-trial hearing.
The defendants currently face only charges; no court verdict has been reached. The presumption of innocence applies.
According to the report, the two Iran International employees identified by prosecutors as targets are presenter Mostafa Purmohseni and Kambiz Hosseinizadeh; the channel had stated that both have worked in London-based broadcasting for years. Prosecutor Jones told the jury that the surveillance operation aimed to subject the targets to "one or more instances of serious violence"; according to the plan, M.S. was to commit violence directly, while F.J.M. and Ş.Q.N. were to gather information to assist in planning the attack.
Context
This case marks the first prosecution under Britain's 2023 National Security Act targeting Iran and coincides with a crisis of confidence also reflected in the Fairford base inquiry reported on October 5. Iran International is a London-based, Farsi-language news outlet that regularly faces targeting from Tehran for its critical reporting of the Iranian government; the channel's staff has previously reported threats and attack attempts. Iran's London embassy has denied such espionage allegations in the past.
The number of security investigations linked to Iran in Britain has risen markedly over the past two years; a terrorism charge against two Iranian nationals in Manchester and an alleged plot involving Fairford base are viewed as part of this trend. The trial is expected to continue at Woolwich Crown Court in coming weeks; prosecution and defense teams presenting all evidence could take weeks.
The 2023 National Security Act was enacted to comprehensively criminalize espionage, sabotage, and influence operations conducted on behalf of foreign states in Britain; the legislation was passed following criticism that previous British espionage law was outdated and insufficient. The fact that this is the first Iran-linked prosecution under this law is being presented as an indicator of British authorities' capacity to monitor activities linked to Tehran.
