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🛒 تسوق الآنCompletely False: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Denies Mossad Recruitment Report by New York Times
Completely False: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Denies Mossad Recruitment Report by New York Times
NYT Report: Israel's Intelligence Spent Years Cultivating Former Iranian President
The office of former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has categorically rejected a bombshell report by The New York Times alleging that Israel's Mossad spent years cultivating him as a potential post-regime leader. In a sharply worded statement, Ahmadinejad's office described the claims as "completely false" and dismissed the narrative as a "Hollywood-style scenario."
The New York Times report, published Monday and corroborated by Haaretz, detailed an elaborate multi-year operation in which Mossad allegedly sought to recruit Ahmadinejad — a former hardline president known for his virulent anti-Israel rhetoric and Holocaust denial. According to the report, the operation began in 2022 and continued even as Israel waged war in Gaza against Hamas, a key Iranian ally.
Mossad Chief Met Ahmadinejad in Budapest, Report Claims
Central to the NYT's reporting is the claim that Mossad chief David Barnea traveled to Budapest, Hungary to personally meet Ahmadinejad after the former president was invited to speak at Ludovika University during a climate conference in 2025. The report alleged that Barnea even skipped a security consultation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the Gaza war to focus on the Ahmadinejad operation.
Israeli intelligence reportedly believed that Ahmadinejad's deteriorating relationship with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his three-time disqualification from presidential candidacy made him receptive to recruitment. He had also begun moderating his public image — trimming his beard, abandoning his trademark white jacket, improving his English — which officials interpreted as signs of a potential defector.
The Rescue Operation and Mysterious Disappearance
The NYT further reported that following the US-Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28, which killed several senior Iranian figures including Khamenei, Mossad agents drove Ahmadinejad from his home and kept him at a safe house in Tehran. The former president allegedly became upset with what he viewed as a "frantic" rescue mission and later left the safe house under mysterious circumstances. He is now believed to be in the custody of the IRGC intelligence wing, according to Iranian officials cited by the NYT.
Mossad operatives were said to have met Ahmadinejad multiple times, including during trips to Hungary under Viktor Orbán's far-right government. Israeli officials allegedly paid Ahmadinejad for housing and travel expenses throughout the operation.
"Absurd Fabrications": Ahmadinejad Fires Back
In his response, Ahmadinejad's office dismissed every element of the report. The statement characterized the New York Times as "known for publishing fake news and fabricating lies" and said the allegations did not merit a formal denial. The former president himself has called the claims "absurd," insisting he has no relationship whatsoever with Mossad or any Israeli intelligence body.
Iranian officials and regime-aligned media outlets have echoed the denial, calling the report a fabrication designed to undermine Iran's national security. The IRGC has not officially commented on Ahmadinejad's alleged custody.
From Holocaust Denier to Israeli Asset?
The allegations are particularly striking given Ahmadinejad's history. During his presidency from 2005 to 2013, he sponsored conferences questioning the Holocaust, called for Israel's erasure, and accelerated Iran's nuclear program — actions that made him one of Israel's most reviled adversaries. The notion that Israel would recruit him represents a dramatic pragmatic shift in strategic thinking, viewing a former enemy as a potential ally against the Islamic Republic's clerical establishment.
Analysts remain divided. Some interpret Ahmadinejad's forceful rejection as evidence the allegations contain uncomfortable truths, while others see it as a predictable response from a figure whose political survival depends on maintaining his anti-Israeli credentials.
Regional Implications for Libya
The Ahmadinejad-Mossad controversy carries implications beyond Iran. For Libya, a nation familiar with foreign intelligence interference since 2011, the saga highlights how intelligence-driven operations shape political outcomes across the Middle East and North Africa. The pattern of alleged covert recruitment and regime-change planning resonates in a region where proxy conflicts remain a daily reality.
— Libya Press / Politics Desk
