Three Iranian men charged under National Security Act

Three Iranian men have been charged under the UK's National Security Act on suspicion of conduct likely to assist Iran.

Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55 were arrested on 3 May.

The charges against them relate to a period between 14 August 2024 and 16 February 2025, police said.

Cdr Dominic Murphy, from the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command, says the charges come following "a very complex and fast-moving investigation".

The three men have been remanded in custody and are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Saturday.

The trio have all been charged with engaging in conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service, which police say is Iran.

Mr Sepahvand has also been charged with carrying out surveillance, reconnaissance and open-source research, police said, intending to commit serious violence against someone in the UK.

Mr Manesh and Mr Noori, meanwhile, have also been charged with engaging in surveillance and reconnaissance, with the intention that serious violence against someone in the UK would be carried out by others.

A fourth man, 31, was arrested on 9 May as part of the investigation but was released without charge on Thursday.

Cdr Murphy said detectives had been "working around the clock" since the men were arrested, and added that officers had been "in contact with the individuals directly affected".

Frank Ferguson, head of the CPS special crime and counter terrorism division, said: "It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings."