LONDON: Three Iranian nationals have been charged with suspected espionage for Iran's intelligence services from August 2024 to February 2025, UK police said on Saturday.
The three were all arrested on May 3 in what the capital’s Metropolitan police called “a very complex and fast-moving investigation”, and were due to appear in a London court later on Saturday.
They were named as Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55, all with addresses in London.
The arrests come amid heightened concerns about Iranian activities on UK soil.
“These are extremely serious charges under the National Security Act, which have come about following what has been a very complex and fast-moving investigation,“ said Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter-Terrorism command.
“Since the men were arrested two weeks ago, detectives have been working around the clock,“ he added.
All three were charged with “engaging in conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service between 14 August 2024 and 16 February 2025,“ the police said.
“The foreign state to which the charges relate is Iran,“ the police said in their statement.
Sepahvand was also charged with “surveillance, reconnaissance and open-source research... intending to commit acts, namely serious violence against a person in the United Kingdom.”
While Manesh and Noori were also charged with “surveillance and reconnaissance with the intention that acts, namely serious violence against a person in the United Kingdom, would be committed by others.”
A fourth man was arrested on May 9 as part of the investigation, but has now been released without charge, the police added in their statement.
The National Security Act gives law enforcement greater powers to disrupt “state threats” including foreign interference and espionage.
Interior minister Yvette Cooper thanked the police in a statement on May 4.
“These are serious events that demonstrate the ongoing requirement to adapt our response to national security threats,“ she said.
In March, Iran became the first country to be placed on an enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS), which aims to boost the UK's national security against covert foreign influences.
The measures, due to come into place later this year, will mean that all people working inside the UK for Iran, its intelligence services or the Revolutionary Guard would have to register or face jail.
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