A London court on Friday sentenced two Romanian nationals to a combined 20 years in prison for a 2024 knife attack on an Iranian journalist that the judge concluded was carried out on behalf of the Iranian state, according to the Associated Press and Iran International.
George Stana was sentenced to 12 years and Nandito Badea to eight over the assault on Pouria Zeraati, a presenter for the London-based, Persian-language channel Iran International, which is critical of Tehran, the AP reported. Both men had pleaded not guilty to wounding with intent but were convicted at Woolwich Crown Court in June.
Zeraati was stabbed in the leg outside his home in the Wimbledon area of southwest London in March 2024 and survived, according to the Guardian and AP. Prosecutors said three men had targeted him: Badea and another man carried out the attack, while Stana drove the getaway car, after which the attackers flew out of the country from Heathrow Airport.
The court's findings
The judge agreed with prosecutors that the evidence overwhelmingly supported the conclusion that the attack was carried out in the interests of and on behalf of the Iranian state, the AP reported. Badea, described as a former professional footballer, and Stana were arrested in Romania in December 2024 and later extradited to the United Kingdom.
Iran International, which Tehran has designated a terrorist organisation, temporarily moved its operations from London to Washington in early 2023 after warnings of state-backed threats. UN experts said in 2024 that threats and violence against the channel were part of a broader pattern of repression targeting Persian-language journalists working abroad.
A wider pattern
The case is one of a series of alleged Iranian state-linked plots in the United Kingdom. In an October 2025 threat update, MI5 Director General Ken McCallum said security services had tracked more than 20 potentially lethal Iran-backed plots over the previous year, with targets including dissidents, journalists and regime opponents.
What to watch
Prosecutors said three men were involved in the attack. The third, whom they said took part alongside Badea, has not been publicly identified or charged, leaving open whether further prosecutions may follow.