Two Iranian nationals were convicted in Britain on Thursday of spying on journalists and critics of Tehran, adding to a growing series of cases raising concerns about Iran’s alleged operations overseas. The verdict came as France accused the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of launching an unprecedented cyberattack and a senior United Arab Emirates official warned of Iranian sleeper cells operating abroad.
The developments come as the Trump administration maintains its economic pressure campaign against Tehran while continuing to signal that diplomatic talks remain possible. That combination has intensified scrutiny of Iran’s foreign intelligence networks and the role alleged covert operations could play in any future agreement.
A jury at Woolwich Crown Court in London found Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, and Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, guilty of conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service. Prosecutors said the men surveilled journalists and others who have criticized Iran’s government, according to Reuters.
The European Union designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, while Ursula von der Leyen pledged swift implementation following a violent crackdown. (Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The alleged targets included journalists with Iran International, a London-based Persian-language outlet known for its criticism of Tehran, along with a prominent figure linked to UK Lawyers for Israel.
Prosecutors said the surveillance occurred from August 2024 through March 2025. The operation allegedly involved visiting places connected to the targets, taking photographs and videos, and conducting online research.
Sepahvand was also convicted of preparatory conduct intended to facilitate serious violence against someone in Britain. Manesh was acquitted of that charge, while a third defendant was cleared of every allegation.
British officials said the case produced the first convictions of Iranian nationals under the National Security Act of 2023. They warned that the outcome highlighted a continuing threat from Iranian intelligence activity. Tehran has denied any involvement.
The United States has reported similar concerns. Two days before the British verdict, the U.S. Justice Department announced terrorism charges against three alleged Iranian-backed operatives. The men are accused of participating in nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks in Europe and the United States.
According to an indictment unsealed Nov. 10, the defendants allegedly supported Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, and Kata’ib Hezbollah. Prosecutors say they targeted Jewish communities and plotted an attack on RAF Fairford, a British air base that houses U.S. military personnel. One defendant, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, allegedly continued coordinating terrorist activity through coded messages while jailed in New York. The network is also accused of planning an attack on a Manhattan synagogue.
Mohammad Ali Al-Hassani, left, and Mohsen Mohajeri appear in an April 2026 video that prosecutors say depicts them planning terrorist attacks. (Department of Justice)
French authorities, meanwhile, accused Iran’s IRGC on Monday of directing a major cyberattack against infrastructure connected to the country’s food supply.
A Nov. 9 report from France’s Cyber Crisis Coordination Centre said Iranian-linked hackers targeted refrigeration controls at roughly 700 retail sites across France on Oct. 11 and 12.
Investigators said the hackers remotely changed defrost settings, causing refrigeration units to reach unusually high temperatures. The disruption spoiled large amounts of food and was linked to at least 15 reported fires.
Major supermarket chains, including Carrefour, Leclerc and Intermarché, were among the affected businesses, along with other companies in the food sector.
French investigators attributed the attack to Shahid Kaveh, a cyberoffensive unit operating under the IRGC’s electronic and cyber command.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called the incident unprecedented in both scale and aggression. The government said it planned to seek European sanctions against those responsible.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry rejected the accusations as baseless and malicious. In a statement issued Tuesday, it condemned what it called the “persistent practice” of directing allegations at Tehran.
A woman passes empty fresh-food refrigerators at an Intermarché supermarket in Névez, western France, on Oct. 12, 2026. The store was affected by a cyberattack that caused refrigeration systems at Intermarché and Coopérative U locations to defrost. Retailers said approximately 150 to 200 Intermarché stores and nearly 100 Coopérative U outlets were targeted. BFM TV reported that E. Leclerc was also affected after hackers remotely triggered forced defrosting at numerous stores. (Fred TANNEAU / AFP via Getty Images)
The cases in Europe echo warnings from the Gulf, where officials say Iran’s operations extend beyond missiles, drones and armed proxy groups.
Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, chairman of the Defense, Interior and Foreign Affairs Committee of the UAE’s Federal National Council, told News Media in an exclusive interview that Iranian-linked sleeper cells were active both in the region and elsewhere.
“They created these sleeping cells in the region and also in other places,” Al Nuaimi said. He added that the UAE had been able to identify some of the cells, take action and enforce its laws against them.
During an Oct. 15 briefing, Al Nuaimi said hundreds of suspected Iranian sleeper-cell members had been arrested in the UAE. He alleged that some had helped guide Iranian missile and drone attacks against the country.
In a separate interview with News Media, Al Nuaimi said any negotiations with Tehran should cover more than its nuclear program and regional proxies. He argued that covert networks operating in foreign countries must also be addressed.
“This is where it should be part of the negotiation with the Iranians: you have to stop not only the proxies that we know, but also using these sleeping cells in other countries,” he said.
The alleged activity has also carried a personal cost for some Iranian-American journalists and analysts. Lisa Daftari, an Iranian-American journalist and foreign policy analyst, said in an earlier interview with News Media that she had been followed in Los Angeles and New York, hacked repeatedly and approached in person. She said the FBI told her she was on a list of potential Iranian regime targets after hackers accessed her accounts. “The message they want to send is very clear, that we know where you are, we can reach you,” she said.
A 2024 Justice Department photo shows Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi in a conference room with weapons and a map of the United States. (Department of Justice)
In a joint declaration released Wednesday after a meeting in Paris, G7 foreign ministers voiced grave concern over Iran’s alleged involvement in violent plots targeting people and territory in their countries.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters after the G7 meeting Tuesday that Tehran was responsible for much of the instability across the Middle East.
“They are behind all the instability in the region; they are the source of instability in the region,” Rubio said, citing Iran’s support for armed groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis.
Rubio said the Trump administration’s economic pressure campaign was substantially weakening Iran’s government and limiting its ability to fund operations abroad, including terrorism and cyber activity.
He said Washington remained willing to pursue diplomacy but would reject what he characterized as unrealistic demands from Iran.
The G7 statement also committed members to coordinating economic and political measures intended to restrict Tehran’s ability to destabilize countries inside and beyond the Middle East.
The British convictions, the French cyberattack investigation and the UAE’s claims concern different forms of alleged activity. No evidence has been presented showing that they were components of one coordinated operation.
G7 foreign ministers and officials pose for a group photo at the opening of their summit at the Quai d’Orsay in Paris. The meeting focused on support for Ukraine and efforts to stabilize the Middle East. From left are EU High Representative Kaja Kallas, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. Nov. 9, 2026. ( )
Taken together, the cases demonstrate the broad range of threats Western and Gulf authorities associate with Iran—from surveillance of dissidents and alleged sleeper networks to attacks on civilian infrastructure. The warnings come as diplomats work to prevent another cycle of military escalation.