Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Was Part of Israel’s Regime Change Plan, Claims U.S. Newspaper

Washington (PNP): The New York Times has alleged that former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was part of an Israeli-backed plan aimed at bringing about regime change in Iran.

According to the newspaper, citing U.S. officials and other sources, Israel spent years pursuing a regime change strategy in Iran and sought to return Ahmadinejad to power, despite his longstanding reputation as a staunch anti-Israel leader and Holocaust denier.

Ahmadinejad served as Iran’s president from 2005 to 2013. During his tenure, he strongly criticized the United States and Israel while Iran advanced its nuclear program. The report claims that former Mossad chief David Barnea personally supervised efforts to support Ahmadinejad’s return to power.

According to the report, Hungary invited Ahmadinejad to attend the 2024 Budapest Climate Conference, providing an opportunity for him to meet Mossad chief David Barnea.

The report further claims that Barnea met Ahmadinejad during the conference and that Israel covered his travel and accommodation expenses. It also alleges that Israeli officials held several meetings with him abroad and that, in February, the United States and Israel attempted to secure his release from house arrest.

A separate report by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz states that Mossad’s regime change operation began in 2022. Although the plan was temporarily disrupted following the outbreak of the Gaza war after October 7, 2023, it was later accelerated during the height of the conflict.

The New York Times also claims that the former Mossad chief met Ahmadinejad just days before the war. During the conflict, an alleged assassination attempt on Ahmadinejad was reportedly staged, but in reality, measures were taken to ensure his safety.

According to the report, Israel—with U.S. support during the conflict with Iran—had been preparing Ahmadinejad as a potential alternative leader for a post-regime Iran. One reason he was considered a suitable candidate, the report says, was that Israeli intelligence had cultivated contacts with him over several years. The newspaper says its report is based on information from American and Israeli sources familiar with the regime change operation.

The report alleges that Mossad had established communication channels with Ahmadinejad and that his visits to Budapest in 2024 and 2025 were viewed as useful opportunities for contact. It claims that Israeli agents met him under the cover of academic conferences.

The report notes that international academic, cultural, and interfaith conferences in Europe and the United States often bring together government officials, opposition figures, experts, and religious leaders from around the world. According to the New York Times, such conferences were allegedly used as cover for Israeli intelligence contacts with Ahmadinejad.

The newspaper says that then-Mossad chief David Barnea met Ahmadinejad during one such conference in Budapest, where other Israeli-linked individuals also reportedly held meetings with him. The report claims these efforts had progressed significantly by late February, shortly before what it describes as preparations for a U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran on February 28. Ahmadinejad was allegedly considered an important figure in the broader regime change strategy, though the plan ultimately failed.

The report further alleges that, during the conflict that began on February 28, there was a plan to destroy Ahmadinejad’s residence in an airstrike as part of the operation. It claims that he was warned in advance and moved to a secure location before the strike. However, it later says that Iranian authorities transferred him to another safe house for reasons that remain unclear.

Since then, Ahmadinejad has largely disappeared from public view. According to the report, he was only briefly seen during the funeral procession of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The New York Times also reports that officials believe Ahmadinejad is currently being held by the intelligence wing of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) because of his alleged contacts with Israeli agencies. The newspaper notes that Israeli officials declined to comment on the allegations despite being contacted, while Ahmadinejad’s spokesperson also refused to comment.

Note: The claims in this report are attributed to the New York Times, Haaretz, unnamed U.S. and Israeli officials, and other cited sources. The allegations have not been independently verified, and no official confirmation has been provided by the governments of Israel, Iran, or Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s representatives.