Iran spies convicted in UK as IRGC cyberattack, sleeper cell fears grow

Key Points:

• Two Iranian men were convicted in Britain for spying on journalists and critics of Tehran, marking the first convictions under the UK's National Security Act of 2023 and highlighting concerns over Iranian intelligence operations abroad.
• The U.S. Justice Department charged three alleged Iranian-backed operatives with terrorism-related offenses linked to attacks in Europe and the U.S., including plots targeting Jewish communities and a British air base.
• French authorities accused Iran's IRGC of a large-scale cyberattack on refrigeration systems in supermarkets nationwide, causing food spoilage and fires, with plans for European sanctions against those responsible.
• UAE officials revealed the existence of Iranian-linked sleeper cells operating regionally and internationally, urging that negotiations with Tehran address these covert networks alongside nuclear and proxy issues.
• G7 foreign ministers condemned Iranian involvement in violent plots abroad, supporting continued economic and political measures to limit Tehran's destabilizing activities, while maintaining openness to diplomacy.