Another senior Iranian figure has found himself at the centre of allegations of links to Israeli intelligence, with former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad taking the unusual step of publicly denying the claims.
His office rejected a report by The New York Times that he was put under house arrest by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as fabricated and shared recent photographs of Mr Ahmadinejad walking in the streets.
The report alleged that the former president, who has run for office at least five times over the past two decades, held meetings with Israeli intelligence officials to discuss receiving backing for a return to power. It added that, in turn, he offered services to Israel.
His case follows months of speculation surrounding the commander of the IRGC's Quds Force, Esmail Qaani, whose loyalty has repeatedly been questioned in unverified reports suggesting links to Israel. The commander has over the past three years gained a reputation for walking away unscathed while many around him have been assassinated.
Since the war with Israel in June 2025, Iran has arrested and executed dozens of people accused of spying for Israel. The assassinations of several senior military and political figures, including former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, exposed the depth of Israel's intelligence penetration inside the country.
“The newspaper’s lack of credibility and the absurdity of the scenario it presented meant that it was not worthy of a response,” Mr Ahmadinejad’s office said. It issued a lengthy rebuttal to the report, which was based on US, Israeli and Iranian sources.
“Although we continue to believe that the Hollywood-style claims ... do not merit a denial, given the country's sensitive circumstances and in order to thwart the plots of Iran's enemies, we categorically reject all of the newspaper's completely false allegations,” it added.
“We announce to the dear and honourable people of the great and proud nation of Iran that their beloved and devoted son remains, as always, steadfast and dignified, carrying out his daily affairs and serving each and every one of them.”
The statement on Telegram was concluded with a link to an Instagram account showing the former president meeting several Iranian officials and walking the streets.
According to The New York Times, Mr Ahmadinejad met a Mossad leader in Budapest, the capital of Hungary. The report also claimed that during the war, Israeli operatives moved Mr Ahmadinejad from Tehran to a safe house as part of a broader regime-change plan. It further alleged that Iranian authorities subsequently placed him under house arrest after uncovering some of his alleged contacts with Israel.
There had been similar earlier accusations involving people around Mr Ahmadinejad, but this is the first report to allege that the former president himself had direct contacts with Israel or was part of an Israeli-backed political plan.
The populist leader served as president from 2005 to 2013. He was regarded as a hardliner and placed under US sanctions in 2023 over the detention of American citizens at Tehran's notorious Evin prison.
During his time in office, Mr Ahmadinejad was accused of human rights abuses and of pursuing economic policies that weakened the Iranian rial and stunted economic growth. He also accelerated Tehran's nuclear programme and hinted at building a nuclear weapon.
His re-election in 2009, viewed by opponents as rigged, prompted the Green Movement protests, which at the time were the largest in Iran's history.
Mr Ahmadinejad attempted to run for another term in office in 2017, in defiance of the late supreme leader, who said that such a move would harm the country. He was later disqualified from running as he criticised Mr Khamenei and called for “free elections.” In 2021, he registered to run for president once more, but was again prevented from doing so. He also registered for the elections in 2024 following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash.
