Three Iranian men appeared in a London court on Saturday accused of offenses under the National Security Act and plotting violence following a major counter-terrorism investigation by British police.

The three men have been charged with engaging in conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service between August 14, 2024, and February 16, 2025, police said, adding that the foreign state to which the charges relate is Iran.

The charges come at a time of intense scrutiny of suspected Iran-backed activities in Britain.