Two Iranian Men Convicted in UK Spy Ring Targeting Journalists

Two Iranian men were found guilty by a British court on Thursday for spying on dissident journalists in the United Kingdom. The conviction marks a significant development in the ongoing legal battle involving Iran’s influence operations in Europe.

The defendants, both in their 40s, were arrested last year. The case has drawn attention to what British counterterrorism police describe as intensifying hostile activity from Iran within the country. This recent trial coincides with heightened security concerns following a scare at RAF Fairford, a key operational site for the US Air Force in Europe.

At Woolwich Crown Court in London, the jury convicted one of the men of spying on reporters working for Iran International, a Persian-language dissident television channel. He was also found guilty of plotting a violent attack against one or more of these journalists. The second defendant was convicted of spying on the reporters but was not found guilty of the plot to launch an attack.

A third defendant, a 57-year-old Iranian man, was acquitted of all charges against him. During the trial, one of the convicted men claimed he acted under duress after threats were made against his family. The other argued that he was unaware his actions were assisting Iranian intelligence services.

The prosecution alleged that the men engaged in conduct likely to assist the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC. The UK designated the IRGC as a national security threat in July. Under new rules regarding state threats, supporting or assisting the organization can result in prison sentences of up to 14 years.

Frank Ferguson, the chief prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service’s special crime and counter-terrorism division, described the case as a calculated operation to monitor critics of the Iranian regime. He noted that the defendants visited addresses linked to their targets, took photographs and videos, and used online platforms such as ChatGPT to research their subjects.

Vicki Evans, the Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, stated that the IRGC or middlemen working for Iranian intelligence directed the plot. She added that the defendants were stopped before any physical attack could be carried out. Iran’s government has repeatedly denied the allegations, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressing disturbance over the arrests in May.

This is not the first case targeting Iran International since late 2023. In July, two Romanian men were jailed for stabbing a journalist outside his home in 2024. A spokesman for Volant Media, the parent company of the broadcaster, said the verdicts do not make the lives of their journalists safer while Iran continues its campaign of threats and violence. The channel reported that a British barrister was also among the targets in this latest plot.

British law enforcement has warned of a rise in hostile Iranian activity, particularly since US military operations against Tehran began earlier this year. Ken MacCullum, the head of MI5, said in October that Iran-linked operations have led to more than 50 arrests in the past year. He noted that known cases of state threats have more than quadrupled over the last decade.

Sentencing for the two convicted men is scheduled for mid-December. European governments remain on heightened alert for hybrid warfare tactics from both Russia and Iran. Officials note that new technologies, including low-cost drones and artificial intelligence, are making such activities cheaper and harder to trace. France recently accused Iran of a cyberattack on supermarket refrigeration units, a claim Tehran has denied.