Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday rejected a report by The New York Times alleging that Israel's Mossad intelligence agency had sought to recruit him and that he is under house arrest, describing the claims as “completely false.”
In a statement, Ahmadinejad's office accused the newspaper of publishing fabricated reports to mislead public opinion and fuel internal divisions in Iran.
The office also denied that Ahmadinejad is under house arrest, saying the allegation was fabricated to support what it described as the newspaper's “absurd” claims.
“We categorically reject all the completely false allegations promoted by The New York Times,” the statement said.
The New York Times reported Monday that Mossad had attempted in recent years to persuade Ahmadinejad to cooperate with Israel and viewed him as a potential candidate to lead Iran.
The report alleged that the plan was part of a broader Israeli effort to bring about regime change in Iran following its initial strikes targeting senior Iranian leaders.
“In recent years, according to American officials, Israel secretly paid Ahmadinejad for housing and travel, and Israeli operatives met him abroad on several occasions, including during visits to Budapest,” it said.
The newspaper claimed that the effort culminated in late February, during the opening days of the US-Israeli war with Iran, when Israeli intelligence allegedly attempted to remove Ahmadinejad from Tehran as part of a plan to help topple Iran's government and install him as leader.
According to the report, an Israeli air strike on February 28 targeted Ahmadinejad's compound, hitting a building used by his bodyguards as well as his armoured vehicle.
Four senior Iranian officials claimed a black Peugeot car arrived after the strike, picked up the former president and took him to a secret safe house inside Iran, it added.
Citing American and Iranian officials familiar with the operation, the newspaper alleged the car was driven by Mossad operatives.
Last week, Ahmadinejad, who served as Iran's president from 2005 to 2013, attended the funeral of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in his first public appearance since the US-Israeli war on Iran.
