In May 2025, UK authorities charged three Iranian nationals—Mostafa Sepahvand, Farhad Javadi Manesh, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori—with espionage offences under the National Security Act.
The trio are accused of conducting surveillance and reconnaissance activities targeting UK-based journalists associated with ‘Iran International’, a Persian-language media outlet critical of the Iranian regime. These activities allegedly occurred between August 2024 and February 2025, with the intent to facilitate serious acts of violence.
Iran International has long been under pressure. However, the plots to cause violence on UK soil show that authoritarian or theocratic governments are increasingly exporting repression across borders, using espionage and intimidation to silence criticism and erode press freedoms.
The arrests have intensified tensions between the UK and Iran, with the UK Foreign and Commonwealth office summoning Iranian Ambassador Seyed Ali Mousavi to express its concerns and emphasising the need to hold Iran accountable for its actions. In a reciprocal move, Iran summoned a British diplomat, protesting the detention of an unnamed Iranian citizen in the UK. Iran warned against further escalations that could damage diplomatic relations.
Iranian activity and threats against the UK have been a point of discussion for several months now, with the current Minister for Security, Dan Jarvis, stating in the House of Commons on 04 March 2025:
"The [Iranian] regime has become increasingly emboldened, and is asserting itself more aggressively to advance its objectives and undermine ours. That is evidenced by the fact that direct action against UK targets has substantially increased over recent years. The director general of MI5 recently stated that since the start of 2022, the UK has responded to 20 Iran-backed plots presenting potentially lethal threats to British citizens and UK residents."
Implications for UK public and trade policy
The exposure of this alleged spy ring has significant implications for the UK's public policy and trade relations. In response, the UK government is considering new legislation to proscribe membership and associations with state-backed groups like Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Proscription would make it a criminal offence to belong to, support, or promote these groups and aim to address gaps current laws and enhance the ability to restrict the activities of foreign state-affiliated groups operating in the UK.
This incident forms part of a growing number of foreign espionage operations being uncovered in the UK. Only weeks before the Iranian spy charges, five individuals were convicted in the UK for spying on behalf of Russia in what prosecutors described as a “network of traitors” passing information to Moscow. We have written about this incident in a separate blog post, but taken together, these cases point to a notable increase in high profile hostile state operations within the UK. As the situation develops, it will be crucial for the UK to balance diplomatic engagements with firm measures to counteract espionage and protect its own national interests.