Islamabad remains locked down as US-Iran talks delayed, officials tell Reuters

Nematollah Shahsavani, 40, and Alireza Farasati, 22, face charges under the UK’s National Security Act of engaging in conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service. Prosecutors allege the activity was carried out for Iran.

The pair are accused of conducting reconnaissance of multiple locations, including a synagogue, a Jewish community centre and sites linked to Israeli interests in London. The alleged surveillance is said to have taken place over several months.

Friday’s hearing before Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb is procedural rather than substantive, meaning the court will not rule on guilt or innocence. Instead, it is expected to address case management issues, including how the trial will proceed, disclosure of evidence and the timetable for future hearings.

The defendants previously appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, where the charges were first presented. Because the offences are indictable-only due to their seriousness, the case was referred to the Crown Court. Both men remain in custody and their cases are being heard together, indicating the allegations arise from closely linked facts.

“We will try to ensure that the memory of the martyrs and the strength of the Islamic Republic in the third imposed war are properly reflected in our textbooks,” he said.

He added that a working group has been formed to incorporate accounts of the conflict, saying: “We are carrying out special work to include narratives… from parts of the third imposed war and the martyrdom of the leader.”

“We will present this history using all available capacities and pass it on to the new generation,” he said.

The move builds on an expanding state-led effort to shape war narratives in education. Last year, authorities introduced new curriculum materials portraying a previous conflict with Israel as a national success, aiming to strengthen unity, patriotism and deterrence among students.

Those materials included lessons linking military strength with national identity and encouraging students to engage with themes of defense, science and resistance, reflecting a broader push to embed state ideology and wartime messaging in classrooms.

An internal Pentagon email outlined options to penalize NATO allies seen as not supporting the US during the Iran war, including suspending Spain from parts of the alliance, a US official told Reuters.

The proposals also include reviewing US backing for Britain’s claim to the Falkland Islands and are aimed at reducing what officials described as a European “sense of entitlement.”

The options reflect frustration over some allies’ reluctance to provide access, basing and overflight rights for US operations, the official said.

A senior Iranian official warned that any attack on Iran’s oil infrastructure would be met with strikes on Saudi Arabia’s energy facilities.

“Our list of targets is clear; if any of our oil wells are hit, we will target one of Saudi Arabia’s oil phases and respond accordingly,” Esmail Saqab Esfahani, a deputy to President Masoud Pezeshkian, said.

He added that Iran’s response strategy ranges from proportional retaliation to more severe escalation, describing it as a “ladder” that could intensify depending on the situation.

Talks with Iran should include nuclear experts or risk producing a weaker agreement, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.

“If the talks are only about the nuclear and there are no nuclear experts around the table, then we will end up with an agreement that is weaker than the JCPOA was,” she said.

Kallas added that failing to address broader issues such as missile programmes and regional activities could result in “a more dangerous Iran.”