Mostafa Sepahvand, Farhad Javadi Manesh and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori did not dispute they surveilled targets

Three alleged Iranian spies carried out surveillance and reconnaissance to target journalists in the UK as part of a plan to commit “serious violence”, a court heard on Tuesday.

Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 57, are charged with offences under the National Security Act.