The New York Times reports that a plan by Israeli intelligence to install former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the new head of state fell apart in late February of this year, during the opening days of the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran.
An Israeli airstrike hit the compound where Ahmadinejad was living under strict surveillance. A black Peugeot then arrived at the scene, picked him up, and sped away. According to American and Iranian officials, the car was driven by Mossad operatives who took him to a secret safe house inside Iran.
That extraction was the climax of a years-long effort by Israeli intelligence to groom Ahmadinejad as an asset, with the ultimate goal of having him take control of the Iranian government. The plan represented a striking shift, given that Ahmadinejad spent his time in office as a hard-line figure who called for the destruction of Israel and pushed for the expansion of Iran’s nuclear program.
A former hardliner president became a covert Israeli intelligence asset
The collaboration reportedly began taking shape through secret meetings in Budapest. In early 2024, a senior Hungarian government official contacted Professor Gergely Deli, the rector of Ludovika University of Public Service, and asked the university to host a climate change conference and invite Ahmadinejad. This was one of the plans Israel set in motion to topple the current Iranian regime.
Deli later admitted the conference was a front to allow Ahmadinejad to hold private talks with Israeli intelligence officers. “You have two enemies, and if these enemies want to talk with each other, then it’s best to do what you can to make them talk,” Deli said.
The recruitment was significant enough that David Barnea, the head of Mossad, reportedly traveled to Budapest in 2024 to meet Ahmadinejad personally. Israeli operatives later met with him abroad on several additional occasions. Israel reportedly provided money to cover his travel and housing costs.
Ahmadinejad appeared to be looking for a way back to power. Having been disqualified from running for president three times, he had grown disillusioned with the current Iranian system.
According to associates, he viewed himself as a potential reformer who could normalize relations with Israel, and he reportedly suggested he might align Iran with the Abraham Accords. He reportedly told confidants that he feared a war would destabilize the country under people who did not understand Iran, and that he wanted to be the one to steer the transition.
His public image also changed visibly during this period. He traded his signature windbreaker for tailored suits, worked on his English, and reportedly underwent cosmetic procedures including Botox. These changes, along with his behind-the-scenes activities, eventually drew the attention of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
After the failed extraction in February, Ahmadinejad disappeared from public view for months. He resurfaced last Monday at the funeral procession for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, where he was spotted wearing a heavy jacket and a mask, surrounded by security personnel. Similar Israeli airstrikes in Tehran have targeted high-ranking officials, like the IRGC’s intelligence chief.
Senior Iranian officials now report that Ahmadinejad is being held under house arrest by the intelligence wing of the Revolutionary Guards, after the government uncovered the extent of his cooperation with Israel.
Published: Jul 14, 2026 08:45 am