Ahmadinejad Denies Allegations of Contacts With Mossad

Photo: Collected

News Desk: Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has denied allegations that he maintained contacts with Israel's intelligence agency, Mossad, or that he is under house arrest, describing the claims as completely false and baseless.

In a statement, Ahmadinejad's office also dismissed reports that he had been placed under house arrest, saying the allegation was fabricated to lend credibility to what it called the newspaper's "irrational" accusations.

"We unequivocally reject all the completely false allegations published by The New York Times," the statement said.

In a report published on Monday, The New York Times claimed that Mossad had attempted in recent years to persuade Ahmadinejad to cooperate with Israel and had viewed him as a potential candidate to lead Iran in the future.

The report further alleged that the effort was part of a broader Israeli plan for regime change following its initial strikes targeting senior Iranian leaders.

Citing U.S. officials, the newspaper claimed that Israel had secretly covered Ahmadinejad's accommodation and travel expenses. It also alleged that Israeli operatives met him on several occasions during overseas visits, including in Budapest.

According to the report, Mossad also attempted to extract Ahmadinejad from Tehran in late February, at the outset of the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, with the aim of installing him as the country's new leader after toppling the government.

The report further claimed that an Israeli airstrike targeting Ahmadinejad's compound on February 28 damaged a building used by his bodyguards and an armored vehicle.

Quoting four senior Iranian officials, The New York Times alleged that following the attack, Ahmadinejad was taken from the compound in a black Peugeot vehicle to a secret location inside Iran. Citing both U.S. and Iranian officials, the report claimed the vehicle was driven by Mossad operatives.

Ahmadinejad served as Iran's president from 2005 to 2013. Last week, he made his first public appearance since the Iran-U.S.-Israel conflict, attending the funeral of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.