WASHINGTON, DC: Israel spent years pursuing a covert effort to cultivate former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a potential intelligence asset and possible leader of Iran in the event of regime change, according to The New York Times, citing American, Israeli and Iranian officials.
The reported effort marked a striking shift in Israel’s approach to Ahmadinejad, who served as Iran’s president from 2005 to 2013 and was known for advancing Iran’s nuclear programme, denying the Holocaust and making repeated threats against Israel.
According to the report, Israeli intelligence began viewing Ahmadinejad as a potential partner after he became increasingly estranged from Iran’s ruling establishment following his presidency. Former US officials said then-Mossad chief David Barnea met Ahmadinejad in Budapest, after which the Mossad informed the CIA that contact had been established.
The report says Ahmadinejad sought to reinvent his public image, criticised Iran’s security apparatus and corruption, and attempted to position himself as a reform-minded alternative while maintaining political ambitions. A close associate said he believed he could return to power only if Iran’s existing political order fractured.
Israeli intelligence reportedly saw his growing rift with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials as a strategic opportunity. At the same time, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps became increasingly suspicious of his foreign contacts, particularly after he sent public letters to Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Ahmadinejad’s presidency was marked by domestic and international controversy. His disputed 2009 re-election sparked mass protests, and during his second term he clashed with Parliament, the Revolutionary Guard and Khamenei. After leaving office in 2013, he unsuccessfully sought to return to the presidency but was barred from running by the Guardian Council in 2017, 2021 and 2024. (ANI)
Also Read: United States launches new round of strikes against Iran