Police said the individuals were charged with conduct that could assist foreign intelligence agencies.

British police said they accused three Iranians of alleged spying on Iran's intelligence services from August 2024 to February 2025.

Police said in a statement Saturday that the three men were charged with crimes under the National Security Act after a major counter-terrorism investigation.

Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55, are accused of potentially helping foreign intelligence services between August 14, 2024 and February 16, 2025, police said it was a foreign country related to foreign countries.

The three will appear in Westminster District Court later Saturday.

Metropolitan Counter-Terrorism Command Commander Dominic Murphy said the men were arrested two weeks ago. “That is a very serious allegation under the National Security Act, which follows a very complex and rapid investigation,” he said.

Police and prosecutors said Sepahwan was also charged with surveillance, reconnaissance and open source research with an intention to commit serious violence against someone in the UK, while annesh and Noori were also charged with responsibility for surveillance and reconnaissance and intend to commit serious violent violence against the British.

The fourth Iranian national, 31, was also arrested and detained as part of the investigation and was released on Thursday without further action.

The arrests took place on the same day, with five other Iranians being detained by police as part of another counter-terrorism investigation, which British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has called it some of the largest investigations of “likeness” in recent years.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had previously said he was "uneasy" to learn that Iranian citizens had been arrested by British authorities.

The UK places Iran at the highest level of its Foreign Impact Registration Program (FIRS), which aims to improve the national security of Britain's secret foreign influence.

These measures will be implemented later this year, meaning that all people working for Iran, their intelligence services or the Revolutionary Guards must be registered or faced with prison.