Former Iranian President Ahmadinejad Arrested Over Suspected Cooperation With Israel

The New York Times reported today (Monday) that former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been detained by intelligence officers from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and is currently being held under house arrest.

According to the report, Ahmadinejad was detained after information allegedly emerged indicating that he had maintained contact with Israel as part of a plan to overthrow the Iranian regime. It should be noted, however, that just last week the former president was seen publicly attending the funeral ceremonies of Ali Khamenei.

Budapest Meetings Allegedly Served as Cover

The newspaper also reported that in early 2024, the rector of a university in Budapest received an unusual request from a senior Hungarian government official. The official told Professor Gergely Deli that Ludovika University of Public Service should host a conference on climate change and invite an unexpected guest: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

According to the report, the official explained that the conference was merely a cover that would allow Ahmadinejad to hold secret meetings in Budapest with Israeli intelligence officials. Professor Deli understood that extending the invitation could damage both his own reputation and that of the university. Nevertheless, he later said in an interview that "he believed he might be able to play a role in saving lives."

The report further claimed that Ahmadinejad's visit to the university in 2024, along with a second visit the following year, formed part of a long-term Israeli effort to cultivate him as an intelligence asset who, when the time came, could potentially become Iran's next leader.

Alleged Mossad Operation Inside Iran

It was also alleged that Ahmadinejad met with former Mossad chief David Barnea. In addition, the report claimed that at the outset of the war with Iran, on February 28, an Israeli airstrike targeted Ahmadinejad's compound, striking the building used by his bodyguards and his armored vehicle. Following the attack, a black Peugeot reportedly arrived, picked him up, and quickly evacuated him from the scene.

American and Iranian officials familiar with the alleged operation told the New York Times that the vehicle was driven by Mossad operatives, who transported Ahmadinejad to a safe house inside Iran. The report added that he later left the location voluntarily after becoming disappointed that the alleged Israeli plan had not succeeded.