UK summons Iranian ambassador after three charged under National Security Act

The United Kingdom summoned Iran’s ambassador Ali Mousavi on Monday after three Iranian nationals were charged with offences under the National Security Act, a spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said.

"The UK Government is clear that protecting national security remains our top priority and Iran must be held accountable for its actions," the FCDO spokesperson said in a statement.

"The summons follows this weekend’s announcement which stated that three Iranian nationals had been charged with engaging in conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service," the statement added.

In two separate operations on May 3, eight men including seven Iranians were arrested by the British counter-terrorism police.

On Saturday, British counter-terrorism police charged three Iranian nationals with offences under the National Security Act, alleging they acted on behalf of Iran’s intelligence service and carried out surveillance targeting Iran International journalists.

The men — Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 56 — were arrested at their homes in London on May 3 and charged on Friday.

All three are accused of engaging in conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service between August 14, 2024 and February 16, 2025, in breach of Section 3 of the National Security Act 2023.

In response, Iran's foreign ministry on Sunday summoned the UK chargé d'affaires in Tehran in protest over what it called the "unlawful and baseless" arrest of several Iranian nationals in the United Kingdom in two separate anti-terror operations.

Earlier on Monday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said all signs of arbitrary detention were evident in the UK’s handling of the case.

“In the UK, as in other European countries, there is a pattern of imitation. All elements of arbitrary detention are present in the arrest of Iranian nationals in the UK. It is still unclear what charges they were arrested on,” he said.

Baghaei added that three individuals remain in custody while others have been released without clear explanation of the accusations. “The very notion of ‘connection with the Iranian government’ is vague, because a citizen must have contact with their own government for consular matters,” he said.