Israel's Mossad Detains Former Iranian President Ahmadinejad Amid Regime Change Plot

Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is reportedly under house arrest by the intelligence arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after Tehran uncovered extensive secret ties between him and Israel, along with a plan to install him as Iran's next leader. According to The New York Times, four senior Iranian officials revealed a complex, years-long covert operation involving climate conferences as cover for secret meetings, a personal visit by Mossad chief Dedi Barnea to Budapest, Israeli funding for Ahmadinejad's travel and lodging, and a dramatic extraction by a black Peugeot from a bombed compound in Tehran.

The plot began taking shape in early 2024 when a Hungarian government official requested that Ludovika University in Budapest host a climate conference featuring Ahmadinejad, ostensibly an unlikely guest for such an event. The conference served as a front for secret meetings between Ahmadinejad and Israeli intelligence operatives. Despite concerns about inviting a Holocaust denier known for anti-Israel rhetoric, university president Gregy Deli agreed, believing dialogue between enemies was necessary.

Israeli efforts to cultivate Ahmadinejad as an intelligence asset aimed to position him as a domestic alternative to exiled opposition figures, with the hope he could return to power. Mossad chief Dedi Barnea personally met Ahmadinejad in Budapest in 2024, shortly before informing the CIA of the contact. Israel covertly financed Ahmadinejad's expenses and held multiple meetings with him outside Iran, including during a 2023 environmental conference in Guatemala, where Iranian security initially blocked his departure.

Ahmadinejad's 2025 Budapest visit, days before the outbreak of war between Israel and Iran, again served as cover for intelligence meetings. Iranian security reported Ahmadinejad evading his handlers to attend extended secret meetings. His public demeanor shifted markedly, adopting Western-style suits, speaking in English about shared humanity and a changing world order, and softening his anti-Israel rhetoric. He also criticized regime corruption and engaged with citizens daily.

Despite his marginalization by the regime, Ahmadinejad maintained popular support and aspired to return to power, reportedly telling close associates he sought to become Iran's future leader with foreign backing. He envisioned normalizing relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords framework. Iranian intelligence had monitored his communications with U.S. and Saudi leaders for years but only fully uncovered his Israeli links after the war began.

On February 28, 2025, during early war days, Israeli airstrikes targeted Ahmadinejad's guarded compound in Tehran. Amid the chaos, a black Peugeot driven by Mossad agents extracted him to a secret safe house. However, Ahmadinejad grew fearful and disillusioned with the plan, eventually leaving the safe house under unclear circumstances. He remained out of public view for months until briefly appearing at Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's funeral, dressed unusually and surrounded by security, while other former presidents were excluded.

Currently, four senior Iranian officials claim Ahmadinejad remains under house arrest by the Revolutionary Guards' intelligence. The Israeli plan to install him was part of a broader strategy that also involved arming and training Kurdish opposition forces in northern Iraq to seize western Iranian territory and advance on Tehran, a plan that also failed. Former Israeli military intelligence chief Tamir Hayman confirmed the operation included a "series of very unique special operations" involving Ahmadinejad. Israeli officials and Ahmadinejad's spokesperson declined to comment on the revelations.