A diplomatic spat has broken out between the United Kingdom and Iran over spying allegations made by London. Three Iranian nationals have been charged with ‘conduct likely to assist foreign intelligence.’
All three were reported to be targeting journalists working for independent Iranian media, working on surveillance and reconnaissance in order to commit violence. A counter-terror command representative from the increasingly hapless Metropolitan Police called these ‘extremely serious charges under the National Security Act.’
For the British government, there are also serious (and wider) issues to address. All three suspects arrived in the UK as asylum seekers, granted temporary leave to remain. The Iranian ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Office on Monday, May 19th. Previously, Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55, were remanded in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
Independently of London ‘exile politics,’ conflict between Britain and Iran has sharpened since the latter declared the ‘Axis of Resistance’ against Israel following the Hamas-led pogrom of October 7th, 2023.
