Ahmadinejad responds to allegations of ties with 'Mossad': False and Hollywood

“Completely false.” This was how the statement issued by the office of former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad began, responding to a report published by The New York Times regarding alleged contacts between Ahmadinejad and Israel’s Mossad.

The report, published on Monday, was echoed in an extended version by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz on Tuesday. It stated that Mossad had worked for years to recruit Ahmadinejad and explored the possibility of installing him as Iran’s president in the event of a successful regime-change operation.

This was not The New York Times’ first such report. On May 20, it revealed what it described as a secret Israeli-American plan aimed at toppling the Iranian regime and installing the former president in the post-war phase that the United States and Israel launched against the Islamic Republic on February 28.

According to that report, the plan was part of a broader Israeli project designed to bring about radical regime change following initial strikes targeting Iran’s senior leadership, which resulted in the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and top military officials.

The office considered the American newspaper’s report an attempt to “exploit the political sensitivity arising from military threats, stir up public opinion, and wage a psychological war against the majority of the Iranian people, leveraging Ahmadinejad’s widespread popularity.”

Ahmadinejad’s office criticized The New York Times, noting that it lacks credibility and is known for publishing false news and fabricating facts. As evidence, it pointed out that the newspaper had published what it described as a “ridiculous scenario,” only to repeat it 55 days later with added details in an attempt to incite discord.

The statement continued, accusing the newspaper of publishing fake articles and news for money on behalf of “disreputable elements,” and noted that this time it claimed Ahmadinejad was under house arrest in an effort to lend credibility to its report.

Believing that The New York Times’ “Hollywood-style claims” did not warrant a denial, Ahmadinejad’s office justified its insistence on issuing a firm rebuttal by citing the “sensitive political circumstances the country is undergoing” and to ward off what it described as “enemy-instigated sedition.”

In conclusion, the statement addressed the Iranian people, affirming that the “beloved and devoted son” Mahmoud Ahmadinejad “continues, as always, to carry out his usual activities and serve the children of the Iranian people.”

According to the American newspaper, Ahmadinejad, who was considered one of the symbols of the conservative camp in Iran, had changed significantly after the end of his term. He had previously emphasized the importance of the nuclear program and called for Israel’s destruction, but later began to moderate his anti-Israel rhetoric and present himself as a moderate politician.

The New York Times quoted Abdolreza Davari, described as a former aide to Ahmadinejad, as saying that Ahmadinejad’s exclusion from presidential candidacy three times led him to feel frustrated and believe he could not return to power as long as the current regime remained in place.

The newspaper added that, according to Davari, Ahmadinejad described himself to those around him as someone capable of playing a reformer’s role, similar to former Russian President Boris Yeltsin. He reportedly stated that if he came to power, Iran would recognize Israel and normalize relations with it within the framework of the Abraham Accords brokered by former U.S. President Donald Trump.

The newspaper then outlined what it presented as successive steps in building the relationship between Mossad and Ahmadinejad, most notably in early 2024, when a Hungarian university invited him to a conference on climate change. The real purpose, it claimed, was to provide an opportunity for a secret meeting in Budapest with Mossad operatives.

According to U.S. and Iranian officials familiar with the operation, whose identities the newspaper has not disclosed, this visit and another that took place the following year were part of an Israeli effort spanning several years to groom him as an operative who could be installed as Iran’s new leader when the time was right.

In recent years, according to U.S. officials, Israel secretly paid money to Najad to cover housing and travel expenses, and Israeli agents met with him abroad on several occasions, including during his trips to Budapest.

On February 28 last year, an Israeli airstrike targeted Najad’s headquarters, the building housing his personal guards, and his armored vehicle. Following the strike, a black car arrived, picked him up, and sped away from the scene to a secret house in Iran.

But the former president was upset by the rescue operation and appeared disappointed in the Israeli plan to restore him to power, according to sources familiar with what happened, as reported by The New York Times. He left the safe house under circumstances that remain murky. He did not appear in public until last Monday, when he briefly took part in the funeral procession for Khamenei.