Two Iranian men convicted of spying for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Two Iranian men have been convicted of spying for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after a six week trial at Woolwich Crown Court. Mostafa Sepahvand and Farhad Manesh were found guilty of engaging in conduct likely to assist the IRGC. Sepahvand was also convicted of engaging in surveillance, reconnaissance and open source research with the intention that serious violence would be committed against a person in the United Kingdom.

The targets of the surveillance were two journalists working for the media organisation Iran International, a lawyer working for UK Lawyers for Israel, and a media production professional. In messages to contacts in Iran about one of the targets, Sepahvand referred to “finishing him off”. He was partly motivated by the promise of £150,000 from his IRGC contacts and by the expectation that the IRGC would “fix” his existing conviction in Iran for theft.

Manesh assisted Sepahvand with the surveillance. He was found not guilty of a separate charge under the National Security Act of carrying out the activity with the intention that others would commit serious violence against a person in the United Kingdom.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said the arrests prevented serious violence from being inflicted on one or more individuals in the UK. She explained that officers translated thousands of messages from Farsi and used mobile phone cell site data to establish a clear record of the surveillance. Evans noted that the case reflected a continuing pattern of Iran targeting Persian language media in the United Kingdom, particularly Iran International. This is the fourth case in recent years involving a direct threat to journalists at the organisation.

Evans said the threat from hostile states is increasing and that Iran continues to adapt its methods by using proxies. These have included people who enter the country briefly to carry out criminal activity, British nationals, and, in this case, Iranian nationals with settled immigration status. Individuals are often tasked through social media with the promise of large sums of money, yet the proxy bears all the risk and frequently receives little or none of the promised reward.

The surveillance, reconnaissance and open source research took place between August 2024 and March 2025. Counter Terrorism Policing London officers recovered briefing documents from the men’s mobile phones containing photographs of the targets, their workplace addresses, the make and colour of their cars, and the names of their pets. Officers examined 534 GB of data, including messages, videos, images and voice notes, a process complicated by the need to translate content from Farsi.

Sepahvand took a leading role and passed surveillance instructions to Manesh. He frequently messaged Iranian telephone numbers linked to the IRGC. In one voice note to an Iranian contact he stated that he had been promised his theft conviction in Iran would be sorted out and that he would receive £150,000. He also spoke of “finishing off” someone if money was put in his hands.

Sepahvand, Manesh and a third man, Shapoor Noori, were arrested at their home addresses on 3 May 2025. Sepahvand admitted carrying out the surveillance on behalf of the IRGC but claimed he had acted under duress. Manesh said the images were taken because he was looking for a new place to live. Noori, aged 57, of Ealing, faced the same charges as Manesh but was found not guilty by the jury.

Sepahvand, aged 41, of St John’s Wood, and Manesh, aged 46, of Kensal Rise, will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on 17 November.

By John James

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