Adversary Intelligence — 2026-11-14

Two Iranians Convicted of Spying for IRGC on Dissident Journalists in Britain

BLUFIt is unlikely that Sepahvand receives a custodial sentence of 15 years or more by December 17, but the first National Security Act convictions of Iranian operatives will set a sentencing benchmark for state-directed threats against exiled journalists.

A London jury at Woolwich Crown Court on Thursday convicted Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, of two counts and Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, of one count under the National Security Act, including assisting a foreign intelligence service; police said these are the first such convictions of Iranians under the 2023 Act 12. CPJ reported that the IRGC tasked the pair with monitoring Iran International journalists, including Kambiz Hosseini and Mojtaba Pourmohsen, and that Sepahvand was also convicted of conduct intended to commit serious violence 3. CPJ, citing the Crown Prosecution Service, said Sepahvand messaged his Iran contact asking for £150,000 to "finish [the target] off," and that both men were sentenced to be heard December 17 3. Manesh was acquitted of the violence-related charge, a third defendant, Shapoor Noori, was acquitted of all charges, and Iran denies spying 123.

Analysis
It is unlikely that Sepahvand receives a custodial sentence of 15 years or more at Woolwich Crown Court by the December 17 sentencing hearing. Confidence in this judgment is low: the reporting contains no sentencing submissions, guideline indications or judicial remarks. His violence conviction and £150,000 request to "finish [the target] off" mark serious National Security Act offending, but no attack was shown to be attempted and the CPS said the defendants were stopped beforehand. Judges could instead treat these first Iranian convictions as a deterrent signal and sentence above the surveillance-stage range. The four outlets draw on the same proceedings and police statements, so their agreement reflects shared sourcing, not independent confirmation. A term of 15 years or more would show courts penalizing proxies at deterrent level. A shorter one would support charging Iran-based handlers and tightening protection for exiled journalists.
4 sources
  1. Two Iranians convicted of spying for Tehran in Britain - The National
  2. Two Iranian men found guilty in UK of spying on dissident journalists on IRGC's behalf - The Times of Israel
  3. CPJ welcomes conviction of two Iranians who spied on journalists in the UK - Committee to Protect Journalists
  4. Two men convicted in London of helping Iran target Iran International journalists

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