In May, the New York Times reported that Israel chalked up a plan to install former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's successor after the assassination of the Supreme Leader and other top leaders. In a follow-up to this claim, it has now been reported that Ahmadinejad met Mossad chief in Hungary as part of the negotiations.
The latest NYT report on Monday claimed that then-Mossad chief David Barnea met Ahmadinejad on the sidelines of an academic conference in Hungary in June 2025. This was days before the 12-day war broke out between Israel and Iran. He also contacted Israeli agents during an environmental conference in Guatemala in 2023.
During the opening salvo of the war, Israel hit Ahmadinejad's residence in order to kill IRGC officers guarding him as he was under house arrest. Mossad agents helped him get on a car and moved him to a safe house. However, he soon grew disillusioned with Israel's plan to install him at the helm, reports NYT.
The report comes as Ahmadinejad was recently spotted at the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, donning a heavy coat and a mask and surrounded by IRGC guards.
Ironically, Ahmadinejad, who served as president from 2005 to 2013, was anti-Israel and known to be a Holocaust denier. Holocaust was the genocide of Jews during World War II by the Nazis. He served two four-year terms from 2005 to 2013. However, he was disqualified from running in elections again. Later, he began criticising the Khamenei regime over corruption and poor governance by senior officials.
NYT reports that since he could not return to power under the existing regime, he believed that the Israeli plan could bring him back to power. The newspaper further reported that Ahmadinejad allegedly agreed to recognise Israel and join the Abraham Accords if and when he came to power.
An associate of Ahmadinejad told NYT that the Americans viewed Ahmadinejad as someone who could lead Iran, and had the capability to manage "Iran's political, social and military situation."
Ahmadinejad was also reportedly worried whether Israel would install an outsider as a leader in Tehran if he did not step up.
