Israel’s Mossad tried to recruit former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to install him as Iran’s new leader: Report

Following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's long-time Supreme Leader, on 28 February during the opening hours of the US-Israeli war on Tehran, uncertainty persists over who is in charge of the Islamic Republic. Although Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been appointed as the new Supreme Leader of Iran, he has not yet been seen in public, fuelling speculation that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is in control.

Israel tried to recruit Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Had Israel succeeded, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of the Islamic Republic, would now be serving again as Iran's leader, a New York Times report has claimed. The report claims Israel pursued a multi-year effort to recruit and reinstall Ahmadinejad, who served as the sixth president of Iran from 2005 to 2013, as the country’s new leader.

Israel secretly paid money to Ahmadinejad for housing and travel, and Israeli operatives met him abroad on several occasions, the report, which cited US officials, said.

These travels include his two visits to the Ludovika University of Public Service in Budapest, Hungary, in 2024 and 2025 for a climate change conference. According to the NYT, the invite to Ahmadinejad was a cover to facilitate his meeting with then-Mossad chief David Barnea.

US officials told NYT that Barnea met Ahmadinejad personally in the Hungarian capital in 2024 and soon after, Mossad notified the CIA that it had been in contact with the former Iranian president.

Mossad ‘rescued’ Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on 28 February

The report added that the Israeli efforts culminated on 28 February, with an operation to relocate Ahmadinejad, who had been living under strict surveillance in Tehran. Following a strike on his compound, targeting the building of his bodyguards and his armoured vehicle, Ahmadinejad was taken away from the scene in a black Peugeot car.

Mossad operatives reportedly drove the car and took Ahmadinejad to a secret safe house in Iran. However, the Israeli plan to install him as Iran’s new leader failed as Ahmadinejad was “upset about the frantic rescue operation, and he appeared to be disillusioned about the Israeli plan to return him to power.”

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sought political comeback

69-year-old Ahmadinejad, who is an engineer by qualification, was known as a hardliner who opposed Israel and championed Iran’s nuclear programme during his time in office. Though he had been away from the power circles since leaving office as president in 2013, in 2024, Ahmadinejad made an unsuccessful attempt to return.

Following the death of the then-president Ebrahim Raisi in May 2024, Ahmadinejad sought to contest the presidential election in June. However, the Guardian Council — a panel of clerics and jurists overseen by the then Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei disqualified him, ending his comeback bid abruptly.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rejects allegations

Rejecting the NTY report, the office of Ahmadinejad called it “Hollywood-style claims” that did not merit a denial and described the newspaper as “known for publishing fake news and fabricating lies.”

It also accused the newspaper of being willing to publish fabricated articles and reports in exchange for payment.

The statement, carried by Iranian media outlets, also said that Ahmadinejad remained active and continued his daily work.