Israel's Mossad Secretly Tried to Recruit Former Iranian President Ahmadinejad

A detailed investigation by The New York Times reveals a covert Israeli intelligence operation aimed at recruiting former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The operation sought to prepare him as a potential leader of Iran following the fall of the current regime. The effort included secret meetings with Mossad agents, funding for his travel and stays outside Iran, and a personal meeting between Mossad chief David Barnea and Ahmadinejad in Budapest.

The relationship reportedly began in recent years when Israel identified Ahmadinejad, once a symbol of Iran's anti-Israel stance, as a possible alternative leader. The investigation draws on American and Iranian sources familiar with the operation's details. One key episode was Ahmadinejad's 2024 visit to Ludovika University in Budapest, officially to attend a climate change conference, which served as a cover for secret intelligence meetings. The university president, Professor Gergely Deli, revealed that Hungarian officials requested the invitation to facilitate these meetings.

The operation's significance was underscored by Barnea's personal trip to Budapest to meet Ahmadinejad. Former senior American officials stated that Mossad informed the CIA shortly after about establishing contact with the ex-president. Israel secretly financed Ahmadinejad's housing and travel expenses and met with him multiple times outside Iran. Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad's rift with Tehran's regime deepened as he was repeatedly sidelined from presidential elections.

The operation peaked during the conflict with Iran, when after an Israeli strike on Ahmadinejad's location, Mossad agents allegedly extracted him to a safe house inside Iran. However, Ahmadinejad reportedly became disillusioned with the plan to reinstate him and later left the safe house under unclear circumstances. Iranian security forces have since uncovered much of his contact with Israel. Four senior Iranian officials told the newspaper that Ahmadinejad is currently under house arrest by the Revolutionary Guards' intelligence wing amid growing suspicions.

The report also describes a broader Israeli plan to destabilize Iran by arming and training Kurdish opposition forces in northern Iraq to infiltrate Iran and advance toward Tehran, though this plan was never implemented. Contacts between Israel and Ahmadinejad began at least by 2023, following his visit to Guatemala and continued during his repeated trips to Budapest, where he reportedly evaded Iranian security to meet Israeli intelligence agents. Neither Israel nor Mossad has officially responded to the report, and Iran has not issued an official statement regarding the allegations.