Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, long regarded as one of Israel's most outspoken adversaries, was allegedly cultivated for years by Israeli intelligence as part of an effort to position him for a future return to power in Iran, according to a report.
The New York Times, citing American, Iranian and former intelligence officials, reported that Israel's intelligence agency, Mossad, sought to establish ties with Ahmadinejad after his relationship with Iran's ruling establishment deteriorated.
According to the report, Ahmadinejad's standing within Iran's leadership weakened after he left office in 2013. Having been barred from contesting the presidency on three occasions, he increasingly voiced criticism of sections of the Iranian leadership. The report said he believed a return to power would only be possible if the existing political order underwent significant change, a situation that Israeli intelligence allegedly viewed as an opening.
One of the reported covert meetings took place in Budapest, Hungary, in 2024. Ahmadinejad had travelled there after being invited to speak at a climate change conference hosted by Ludovika University. Gergely Deli, the university's rector, told the newspaper that Ahmadinejad held secret discussions with Israeli intelligence personnel during the event.
The report further alleged that Ahmadinejad travelled to Hungary again in 2025, where he is believed to have met Mossad officials for a second time. Former US officials cited by the newspaper claimed that David Barnea, who was serving as Mossad chief, personally travelled to Budapest to meet him. According to the report, Israel covertly financed Ahmadinejad's travel and accommodation during these visits.
"Ahmadinejad would not do this for money. He has money; he has a wide economic network. He would do it for power. He wants to be at the helm of power," said Abdolreza Davari, a former close associate and senior adviser of Ahmadinejad.
The report said the alleged operation entered its final phase during the opening days of this year's US-Israel war with Iran. It claimed that an Israeli airstrike targeted Ahmadinejad's compound in Tehran, after which he was allegedly transported by Mossad operatives in a black Peugeot to a secret safe house within Iran.
According to the report, the effort ultimately failed. It said Ahmadinejad grew dissatisfied with the operation and lost confidence in Israel's broader strategy to restore him to power. He subsequently left the safe house under circumstances that remain unclear.
The report added that Iranian authorities later uncovered Ahmadinejad's alleged contacts with Israel. It claimed he has since been placed under house arrest and remains under surveillance by the intelligence wing of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Following his departure from the safe house, Ahmadinejad vanished from public view for several months. He was next seen in public only last Monday, when he briefly attended the funeral procession of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Neither Israeli officials nor Mossad have responded publicly to the allegations. Ahmadinejad's spokesman also declined to comment.
