The court was told both men had come to Britain from Europe in small boats. Salehi had arrived in 2020 and had been granted asylum, while Ahmadyan came in 2023 and his asylum claim was still outstanding, Luckett said.
The men did not enter a plea and were remanded in custody until their next hearing at London’s Old Bailey court on Oct 23.
The case comes a week after Britain said Iran was believed to be involved in a suspected plot to target the RAF Fairford air base which the US military has used to carry out raids against targets in Iran, leading to a dual British-Iranian national being arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts.
Police said on Saturday he had been released on police bail while the investigation continues. British counterterrorism police have said the Manchester allegations were not connected in any way to the Fairford investigation.
Iran has rejected accusations of involvement in a number of plots in Britain in recent years, and said allegations it was connected to the Fairford incident were baseless.
Britain has also seen a significant rise in antisemitism since the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023 that triggered the subsequent war in Gaza, including a series of attacks on Jewish sites in London earlier this year.
“It is no secret that this country faces a range of serious threats from the Iranian regime,” Home Secretary (interior minister) Shabana Mahmood said in a statement.
“They target our Jewish communities and try to silence their critics overseas, often through proxies and criminal networks to hide their involvement.”
