Iranian ambassador summoned to Foreign Office after three men charged under National Security Act

The UK government has summoned Iran's ambassador in response to three Iranian nationals being charged under the National Security Act

The three men were charged with spying offences at Westminster Magistrates' Court over the weekend.

Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55, are alleged to have targeted journalists working for Iran International, an independent media organisation based in London.

Iran's ambassador to the UK, Seyed Ali Mousavi, has now been summoned to the Foreign Office, the government said on Monday.

"The UK government is clear that protecting national security remains our top priority and Iran must be held accountable for its actions," a statement read.

"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."

Iranian news agency, ISNA, reported on Sunday that Iran had summoned the UK ambassador in Tehran in protest over what it called the "unlawful baseless arrest of Iranian nationals".

Sepahvand, Manesh and Noori are accused of "engaging in conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service" between August 2024 and February 2025, following an investigation by counter-terror police.

They are alleged to have arrived in the UK by "irregular means", including small boats and a lorry, before claiming asylum.

Sepahvand is also charged with engaging in surveillance, reconnaissance and open-source research, intending to commit acts, namely serious violence against a person in the UK.

Manesh and Noori are further charged with engaging in surveillance and reconnaissance, with the intention that acts, namely serious violence against a person in the UK, would be committed by others.

'Extremely serious'

Commander Dominic Murphy, from the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command, described the charges as "extremely serious".

"Since the men were arrested two weeks ago, detectives have been working around the clock and we have worked closely with colleagues in the Crown Prosecution Service to reach this point," he said on the weekend.

"Now that these men have been charged, I would urge people not to speculate about this case, so that the criminal justice process can run its course."

Read more from Sky News:What is in the Brexit reset agreement?Gary Lineker departs from BBCMessages of support pour in for Joe Biden

The trio were arrested on 3 May, the same day five other Iranian nationals were also arrested, in a separate, unrelated probe into an alleged plot reportedly targeting the Israeli embassy.

Four of those five were released from custody on Saturday, while the fifth was released on bail with conditions.

Sepahvand, Manesh and Noori are due to appear at the Old Bailey on 6 June.