Three Iranian men have gone on trial in London accused of spying for Iran on UK-based journalists, who were being targeted so "serious violence" could be inflicted on them.
The prosecution said Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, was to carry out the attack, with Farhad Manesh, 46, and Shapoor Noori, 57, doing the surveillance and reconnaissance. All three were born in Iran but were living in London.
The jury at Woolwich Crown Court heard that Sepahvand does not deny his involvement but said he did it out of fear of the consequences of refusing.
The prosecution said that is "an entirely bogus claim", adding that he did it for money and to have a criminal conviction for theft in Iran "fixed".
Sepahvand was in contact with two men with Iranian telephone numbers.
According to the prosecution, Manesh and Noori are expected to say they did not know they were carrying out surveillance on behalf of Iran.
All three face charges under the National Security Act, including "assisting a foreign intelligence service".
Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones KC said the men's targets were journalists working for Iran International - a Persian-language satellite channel that is critical of the Tehran regime and has its headquarters in London.
Jones said at least two journalists linked to Iran International were targeted in the surveillance.
