How Ahmadinejad places under house arrest in Iran over alleged Mossad links
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has reportedly been placed under house arrest on allegations that he worked as a covert agent for Israel's intelligence agency, Mossad.
According to the report, the intelligence wing of Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) detained him and imposed the restriction.
The New York Times, citing four senior Iranian officials, reported on Monday (July 13) that Iranian authorities took the action after obtaining what they described as conclusive evidence of Ahmadinejad's close contacts with Israel.
The report claims that Mossad had conducted a years-long covert operation to recruit Ahmadinejad and even planned to position him as Iran's future leader if the country's current political system were to collapse.
Budapest Climate Conference and Meeting with Mossad Chief
According to the report, one of the most unusual episodes of the alleged operation took place in early 2024. A senior Hungarian government official reportedly asked Gergely Deli, rector of the Ludovika University of Public Service in Budapest, to invite Ahmadinejad to a climate change conference.
Deli told The New York Times that he had been informed beforehand that the conference would actually serve as a cover for a secret meeting between Ahmadinejad and Israeli intelligence officials. Despite concerns about potential reputational risks for himself and the university, Deli agreed because he believed that if two hostile nations wanted to engage in dialogue, facilitating that conversation was worthwhile.
Former U.S. officials also told the newspaper that then-Mossad Director David Barnea personally traveled to Budapest to attend the clandestine meeting with Ahmadinejad.
Secret Payments to Spokesman and Mossad Safe House
The report further alleges that Israel secretly paid large sums of money on several occasions to Ahmadinejad's spokesman, Ali Akbar Javanfekr.
It also claims that before the U.S.-Israeli joint operation, Operation Roaring Lion, began in Iran on February 28, Israeli agents held multiple secret meetings with Ahmadinejad.
According to The New York Times, an Israeli airstrike in February targeted Ahmadinejad's residential compound, focusing on his personal security detail and armored vehicles. Following the attack, Mossad agents allegedly evacuated Ahmadinejad to a secret safe house, from which he later went into hiding.
At the time, reports circulated claiming that he had been killed or wounded in U.S. strikes. However, Iranian authorities denied reports of his death, although he was not seen in public for some time.
He reportedly reappeared publicly for the first time at the funeral of Iran's late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Following that event, senior Iranian officials reportedly instructed the IRGC's intelligence branch to take Ahmadinejad into custody and place him under complete house arrest.
Neither Mossad officials nor spokesman Ali Akbar Javanfekr commented on the allegations when contacted by The New York Times.
Driven by Ambition, Not Money
Abdolreza Davari, a former adviser and close associate of Ahmadinejad, strongly rejected suggestions that the former president was motivated by financial gain.
In a telephone interview, Davari said Ahmadinejad already possesses substantial personal wealth and an extensive financial network. According to him, Ahmadinejad's actions were driven instead by a desire to return to power.
Another associate reportedly said Ahmadinejad had discussed the possibility of returning to power in Iran with the backing of foreign governments. He feared that the United States and Israel might ultimately choose to support another figure instead of him.
The associate also said that after being barred from running in three presidential elections, Ahmadinejad had grown increasingly disillusioned with Iran's current political system. He had become deeply frustrated with Iran's top leadership, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
According to the associate, Ahmadinejad told people close to him that if he ever returned to power, he would seek to fully normalize relations between Iran and Israel through the Abraham Accords.
Note: The translation above faithfully reflects the source text. The allegations described are presented as claims reported in the original article and should not be interpreted as independently verified facts.