The Intelligence Ministry announced his arrest on December 7, 2011.

 

He was convicted of espionage, moharebeh (enmity against God), being a ‘corrupt person on the Earth’, and attempting to implicate Iran in terrorist actions.  

 

“To my memory, after the defendant appealed, the case was referred to the country’s Supreme Court, and finally, the verdict was overturned in the country’s Supreme Court, and therefore, it (the case) was sent to an equivalent court,” Judiciary spokesman Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejeii told a press conference on Monday.  

 

Mohseni-Ejeii also said that the Supreme Court had found some shortcomings in the case.  

 

The first session of the trial of Mirza-Hekmati was held on December 27, 2011. 

 

According to the indictment read out at the first session of his trial, the CIA operative had entered Iran with the aim of penetrating the Iranian intelligence apparatus, and after closer investigation, it became clear that his objective was to take measures to implicate Iran in terrorist acts.  

 

It was also stated in the indictment that Mirza-Hekmati had been recruited by the CIA since 2009 and had been assigned to carry out a number of espionage missions in Iran. 

 

According to the confessions that the defendant had made, he had links with the CIA and had intended to act against Iran’s national security. 

 

The taped confessions of the defendant were broadcast on Iranian television on December 18, 2011.  

 

The indictment also read that Mirza-Hekmati had been dispatched to Bagram base in Afghanistan to collect classified intelligence and then travelled to Iran to establish close relationship with officials at the Intelligence Ministry with the aim of carrying out his mission.

 

Mirza-Hekmati defended himself after the indictment was read out.

 

“I first thought that no blow would be dealt to Iran in this regard, and I did not intend to deal a blow (to the Islamic Republic). I had been deceived,” Mirza-Hekmati stated. 

 

He also said that he was offered $500,000 in return for carrying out the mission.