UK court convicts 2 Iranian men of spying on journalists
Two Iranian men were found guilty of spying on dissident journalists in Britain on behalf of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, with one also convicted of plotting a violent attack.
The Woolwich Crown Court in London convicted one of the Iranian citizens not just of spying on journalists working for the Persian-language dissident TV channel Iran International, but of plotting a violent attack against one or more of them. The second individual had also faced charges of plotting an attack but was only convicted of spying on the reporters.
British counterterrorism police said the case reflected intensifying hostile Iranian activity in the country, an issue that recently made headlines amid the security scare at the RAF Fairford airbase, a major operational site in Europe for the US Air Force.
Conviction Details
One of the convicted defendants said he was acting under duress after his family was threatened, while the other claimed he did not know that his actions were assisting Iranian intelligence. A third defendant, a 57-year-old Iranian man, was acquitted of all charges.
The men were accused of engaging in conduct likely to assist the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran's multi-discipline military force that's seen as closer to the country's religious leadership and more influential than its regular armed forces.
This was a calculated operation to spy on those critical of the Iranian regime.
Iranian Activity in UK
The UK formally designated the IRGC as a threat to national security in July, meaning that supporting or assisting the organization can carry penalties of up to 14 years in prison. Sentencing in this case is scheduled for December 17 at London's Old Bailey.
The two men were accused of visiting addresses linked to their targets, taking photos and videos, and using platforms such as ChatGPT to research them online.
Thankfully, the defendants were stopped before any attack could take place.
Pattern of Threats
There have been four cases targeting the Persian language television channel Iran International since late 2023. In July, two Romanian men were jailed for stabbing a journalist outside his home in 2024. Iran International reported that a British barrister was also one of the targets.
Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing Vicki Evans said that the IRGC or "middlemen" for Iranian intelligence were directing the plot. Iran's government had repeatedly denied the allegations, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi saying he was "disturbed" by the trio's arrests last May.
British law enforcement has been warning of an uptick of hostile Iranian activity in recent years, particularly since the US military operations against Tehran began earlier this year. The UK has accused Iran of being behind a suspected plot targeting the RAF Fairford base in September, after which US President Donald Trump withdrew some long-range bombers from the site.
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