As I said in my initial LinkedIn post yesterday, if this is true, it is big… “If” this is true.
⚠️Regardless, the release of this report might make Ahmadinejad a target of the power holders. Is that the intention of having such a report released publicly?
Whether this report is true or not, it will sow division, confusion and distrust from within the theocracy. So many high-ranking Iranian leaders have been taken out by the US and Israel that a report like this is going to have some psychological effect.
Haaretz, the NYT and several outlets are reporting the same news.
🟠 Iran International News, an Iran opposition outlet, reports:
Mossad recruited Ahmadinejad for Iran regime-change plot – report
Israel’s Mossad recruited former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and chose him to lead Iran after a planned operation to overthrow the Islamic Republic, Haaretz reported Monday, citing more than 30 political, defense, diplomatic and foreign sources.
The relationship began taking shape in 2022 after the Mossad gathered intelligence indicating shifts in Ahmadinejad’s views, the report said.
Israel focused on his belief that Iran could not continue under sanctions and that its nuclear program had become a burden rather than an asset.
A team of Mossad agents continued a mission involving Ahmadinejad after landing abroad on October 7, 2023, and learning of the Hamas attack on Israel, according to the report.
Then-Mossad chief David Barnea personally oversaw the operation and at one point skipped a security consultation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to focus on developments involving Ahmadinejad, the report said.
By early 2026, Ahmadinejad had become one of Israel’s most significant assets and was chosen to take power after “Operation Puss in Boots,” which was intended to overthrow Iran’s government, end its pursuit of nuclear weapons and install a new leadership.
According to the report, the wider plan included influence operations inside Iran, arming and training Kurdish forces in Iraq, mobilizing minorities, recruiting collaborators and creating a land corridor for militia movements. Israel also sought to draw Azerbaijan into the war.
The plan faced opposition from Military Intelligence chief Shlomi Binder, Research Division head Ofir Mizrahi Rosen and then-national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, the report said.
Three days before H-hour, the disagreements reached such a boiling point that IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir ordered everything halted. Nevertheless, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to proceed.
The plan collapsed before Kurdish forces fired a single shot, the report said.
Ahmadinejad, a hardline conservative known for fiercely anti-Israel rhetoric, was Iran’s president from 2005 to 2013. During his two terms, he allegedly denied the Holocaust, advocated Israel’s destruction and suggested Tehran could develop nuclear weapons if it decided to do so.
After leaving office, he was repeatedly barred from standing in presidential elections. Over time, Ahmadinejad distanced himself from the political establishment and criticized the system under Ali Khamenei, accusing senior figures of corruption, mismanagement and failing the public.
He also adopted a softer public image, portraying himself as a defender of ordinary Iranians and their economic and social concerns.
Ahmadinejad’s current status is unclear. Last week, he attended a state-run funeral for slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran, months after an alleged airstrike on his residence which, reportedly set him free from a house arrest.
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who had not been seen in public for months, was seen attending a funeral procession for slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Monday, according to videos circulating on social media.
A New York Times report in May claimed… https://x.com/IranIntl_En/status/2074149729420574785/video/1— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) July 6, 2026
See: https://www.iranintl.com/en/202607131417
➡️ In the meantime, Ahmadinejad is denying the reports, naturally.
He might convince many that he is falsely accused; he has his followers and loyalists.:
🔴Ahmadinejad Denies Israeli Extraction and House Arrest Claims.
The office of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of the Islamic Republic, has rejected a recent report by The New York Times regarding his house arrest and alleged links to Israel, calling it “false” and based on “Hollywood-style claims.”
To read more, see: https://iranwire.com/en/news/154945-ahmadinejad-denies-israeli-extraction-and-house-arrest-claims/
–RdM