A questionable revelation by US media has put Iran's former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the spotlight. On July 13th, local time, The New York Times reported, citing American officials and sources in Iran, that the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad had secretly contacted Ahmadinejad, attempting to help him regain power after achieving a "regime change" in Iran.
But this plan failed in the end, as Israel’s efforts to overthrow the Iranian regime failed. The newspaper reported that Iran currently knows about Najafi’s contacts with Israel, and he has been detained by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Intelligence Department, currently in a state of house arrest.
However, according to a report by Russian News Agency on the 14th, Najd's office issued a statement denying all the accusations, calling the reports in the New York Times "entirely false" and stating that they were part of a "psychological warfare" against Iran.
According to The New York Times, it is not yet clear when Israeli agents first attempted to ‘recruit’ Netanyahu. However, according to another report by Israel’s Haaretz on the 13th, Mossad’s efforts to support Netanyahu can be traced back to 2022. Although this plan was temporarily suspended after a new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflicts erupted in October 2023, it was resumed during the escalating Gaza war, with Davoud Barneia, then head of Mossad, taking personal responsibility for the operation.
Iranian officials told The New York Times that Israeli intelligence agencies had contact with Mahmoud Hadjed during his trip to Guatemala in 2023 for an environmental conference.
In 2024, Israel arranged a secret meeting with Najirad through European allies. According to reports, in order to cover up this contact, Hungary invited Najirad to Budapest under the pretext of attending a climate change conference. Gábor Déri, the president of the Ludovika Public Service University in Hungary, issued the invitation at the instigation of a senior Hungarian official, and was informed that this was merely a convenience for this former Iranian president to meet with Mossad agents.
Former U.S. officials revealed that Israel placed great emphasis on recruiting Najd. After the first contact between the two sides, Mossad quickly informed the CIA that they had successfully reached out to Najd. Subsequently, Israel began developing a "regime change plan" against Iran in connection with Najd. Over the past few years, Israel has secretly provided Najd with housing and travel expenses, and arranged multiple meetings between him and Israeli intelligence agents abroad.
According to sources, Nader returned to Budapest in June 2025 for a second secret meeting with Israeli intelligence agents. During his trip, he managed to evade the surveillance of Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard security personnel at least twice, remaining out of sight for extended periods.
The New York Times reported that Israel had originally planned to make Netanyahu the new leader after overthrowing the current Iranian regime. This plan was initiated on the first day of the US-Israel war against Iran in February this year. At that time, Israeli forces carried out air attacks on Netanyahu’s residence, but the purpose was not to kill him, but to create the illusion that he had been killed in the attack.
After the air raid ended, a black sedan driven by Mossad agents took Najjar away from the scene and transported him to a secret safe house within Iran.
However, this well-planned operation ultimately failed. Sources familiar with the situation revealed that Najib was very dissatisfied with the entire rescue process. He also gradually lost confidence in Israel’s plans to support his rule. As a result, he voluntarily left his safe house, and the entire plan came to an end.
According to US media reports, Najar did not make any public appearances after leaving his safe house until July 6, when he briefly appeared at the funeral procession of Iran's late supreme leader Khamenei.
The video shows that when the temperature exceeded 30 degrees Celsius, Nawaz was standing with his head down, surrounded by several security guards wearing masks and looking vigilant. He did not say a single word throughout the entire process.
On July 6 local time, Najar attended the funeral of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei. Social Media
Four senior Iranian officials said that Iran currently has a large amount of information regarding Najjar’s interactions with Israeli intelligence agencies. Najjar has been detained by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intelligence department and is under house arrest.
However, the Haaretz reported that the Israeli military has always been skeptical of this plan. Several senior intelligence officials believe that the possibility of overthrowing Iran’s current regime through a single war is extremely low, and supporting Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to regain power lacks any real foundation.
The Israeli military once submitted an assessment report to the government, warning that it is almost impossible to predict Iran's political direction in a highly chaotic situation. Proceeding with the plan forcefully might put Israel in an even more passive position. They also feared that, even if the current regime in Iran collapses, the military regime led by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could eventually take power, rather than the political structure that Israel would like to see.
Najibard served as the President of Iran for two terms, from 2005 to 2013. He is one of Iran's most representative hard-line political figures. During his tenure, he repeatedly denied the Holocaust, publicly called for the elimination of Israel, and promoted the restoration of uranium enrichment activities. Therefore, he has long been regarded by the West as a hard-line figure who opposes the United States and Israel.
However, it is reported that after leaving office, Najib gradually developed a rift with the current Iranian regime. He attempted to run for president three times in 2017, 2021, and 2024, but was disqualified by the Iranian Constitution Guard Commission. During this period, he continuously publicly criticized the corruption and poor governance of Iran’s high-ranking government officials, and began to present himself in a more moderate manner.
A close friend of Nijad revealed that Nijad confided his thoughts to a few of his closest colleagues and confidants, saying that he hoped to leverage the influence of foreign forces to become the future leader of Iran. He was concerned that if war led to a change in government, the United States and Israel would support an opposition figure who had been living abroad and did not understand the situation in Iran, causing the country to fall into chaos. Therefore, he believed he was a more suitable candidate for the role.
Reports say that Najib also stated that if he regained power, Iran would recognize Israel and join the Abraham Accords initiated by Trump, thereby normalizing relations between Iran and the United States. Israel has also seized the opportunity created by the rift between Najib and the current government.
Regarding these reports, Alex Vatanak, the head of the Iran program at the American think tank Middle East Institute, stated that Najib’s deteriorating relations with the Iranian regime in recent years are no secret within the Iranian high ranks. Hameney himself also felt uneasy about Guatemala, which has close relations with Israel, due to Najib’s visit there.
But Vatanak is skeptical about the credibility of reports in US media. He pointed out, “If Mossad invested so much resources to save Nehanda, why did they eventually let him go? Would you do the same? Perhaps these reports are just meant to create tension within the Iranian regime. From the perspective of Iranian adversaries, this approach does have some value.”
According to Russian News Agency reports on the 14th, Naji's office also issued a statement denying completely the reports published by The New York Times.
The statement claims that the American media published a “completely false report” about Netanyahu, attempting to incite public opinion during a sensitive political situation related to the war threat.
The statement also indicated that this report was part of psychological warfare against Iran. The New York Times published a story that “is not worth disputing at all,” because the newspaper itself “is not trustworthy.”
The statement emphasizes that "although we believe that statements like those made by The New York Times, which are full of Hollywood flair, do not require any response at all, given the current domestic situation and political environment, we solemnly declare that all accusations in the report are completely unfounded, and we firmly deny them."
