A jury at Woolwich Crown Court in London on Thursday convicted two Iranian men of engaging in conduct likely to assist Iran's intelligence service after a trial over surveillance of UK-based journalists and a lawyer^1,2,3.

Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, and Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, were found guilty; a third defendant, Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 57, was acquitted^1,2,3.

Prosecutors said the men visited addresses, took photos and videos, and used online tools to research targets that included Iran International journalists Mojtaba Pourmohsen and Kambiz Hosseini and Jonathan Turner, a founding member of UK Lawyers for Israel^1,2,4.

Frank Ferguson of the Crown Prosecution Service said Sepahvand was prepared to go beyond surveillance and commit a violent attack on at least one target, and that the pair were promised rewards for sending intelligence to contacts in Iran^2,4.

Sepahvand said he acted under duress after threats to his family; prosecutors called that claim bogus^3,4. Manesh said he did not know the work assisted Iranian intelligence^3,4.

Iran's government has denied the allegations, DW reported, citing earlier comments from Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi after the arrests³.

Metropolitan Police officials said the case was the fourth in recent years involving threats to Iranian journalists in Britain². Sentencing is listed for Dec. 17 at the Old Bailey^2,3.