TEHRAN – Iranian judicial officials say a court in Alborz Province has opened proceedings against a dual national charged with spying for Israel during the June Israeli-U.S. offensive against Iran.

Chief Justice Hossein Fazeli Harikandi announced on Monday that Branch Two of the Islamic Revolution Court in Karaj has begun hearing the case. The defendant, a dual citizen living in a European country, was arrested by the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on the fourth day of the conflict.

According to Harikandi, the defendant had been in contact with Mossad operatives for two years and allegedly received training in several European capitals as well as in Israeli-occupied territories. He reportedly entered Iran by air roughly one month before the 12-day war with the aim of carrying out an assigned mission.

“When he was taken into custody, advanced espionage and intelligence-gathering equipment was discovered in the villa where he had been staying,” Harikandi said. 

Between June 13 and 24, Israel launched a series of strikes inside Iran, killing at least 1,064 people and targeting civilian infrastructure. The United States also carried out airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities.

In October, Iran’s Guardian Council approved legislation imposing harsher penalties on individuals convicted of spying for Israel or cooperating with hostile foreign governments.