Ahmadinejad kept secret contacts with Mossad, which wanted him for Iran's leadership: Reports
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A combined report by The New York Times and the Israeli newspaper Haaretz suggested that a vociferous critic of Zionism and former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad maintained alleged secret contacts with Israel's Mossad after becoming increasingly detached from the Iranian regime, with the Israeli intelligence agency reportedly grooming him as a potential leader of a post-Islamic regime in Tehran.
The former president, who is believed to be in the custody of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was said to have been amenable to the proposal pursued by then Mossad chief David Barnea.
The extraordinary claims portray a dramatic reversal involving a politician once regarded as one of Israel's fiercest adversaries. Ahmadinejad, who repeatedly questioned the Holocaust and called for Israel's elimination during his presidency, is said to have gradually distanced himself from Iran's ruling clerical leadership after leaving office in 2013.
According to the reports, Israeli intelligence began cultivating contacts with Ahmadinejad in 2022 as relations between him and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei continued to deteriorate. The effort reportedly intensified after he travelled abroad, including visits to Guatemala and Hungary, where he addressed a climate conference at Budapest's Ludovika University.
The New York Times and Haaretz reported that David Barnea personally travelled to Hungary to meet Ahmadinejad. The reports further alleged that Mossad maintained regular contact with the former president, assisted with travel and accommodation expenses, and informed the CIA of its communications with him.
Ahmadinejad's increasingly critical stance towards Tehran's handling of domestic protests and his reported belief that Iran's nuclear programme had become an economic burden rather than a strategic asset are said to have convinced Israeli officials that he could emerge as a credible figure in any post-theocratic transition.
The reports also claimed that following the military strikes launched by Israel and the United States against Iran on 28 February, Mossad operatives moved Ahmadinejad from his residence to a safe house in Tehran.
However, he reportedly became disillusioned with what was described as a frantic rescue operation and subsequently left the location under unexplained circumstances before allegedly being detained by the IRGC's intelligence wing.
Haaretz further reported that the alleged regime-change initiative, codenamed Operation Puss in Boots, faced resistance within Israel's security establishment.
Former national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi reportedly dismissed the proposal as unrealistic, while Israel Defence Forces Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir is said to have attempted to halt the operation before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered it to proceed.
Independent analysts have urged caution over the reports, suggesting they could also serve as part of a broader campaign to deepen mistrust within Iran's ruling establishment.