Ahmadinejad Falls Into IRGC Custody After Israel’s 2022 Bid to Install Him in Tehran
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 13
Ahmadinejad Falls Into IRGC Custody After Israel’s 2022 Bid to Install Him in Tehran
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 13
Summary
Iranian officials told the New York Times Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is now believed held by the IRGC intelligence wing after leaving a Tehran safe house where Mossad had sheltered him.
The reported operation began in 2022 as Israel tried to recruit the former president to lead a post-Islamic regime, with Mossad chief David Barnea traveling to Budapest and the agency later informing the CIA of contact.
Israeli operatives allegedly paid Ahmadinejad’s housing and travel costs and met him repeatedly after his ties with Tehran frayed, a shift marked by his criticism of crackdowns and view that sanctions had become unsustainable.
The disclosures surfaced after the US and Israel launched strikes on 28 February that killed senior Iranian leaders including Ali Khamenei, and after Ahmadinejad reappeared last week at Khamenei’s funeral.
Haaretz said Israel’s plan faced internal opposition and was halted 3 days before launch by the army chief, but Benjamin Netanyahu ordered it to proceed anyway.
What explains Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's secret turn from Iran's hardliner to an alleged Israeli asset?
While the US negotiated peace, was Israel secretly plotting to install its own leader in Iran?
With Israel's secret plot exposed, has the IRGC permanently secured its grip on post-Khamenei Iran?
Ahmadinejad, Espionage, and the Failed 2026 Regime Change: How Israeli and US Covert Operations Deepened Iran’s Leadership Crisis
Overview
After Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in February 2026, former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made a surprising public return by attending Khamenei’s massive funeral in July. His reappearance highlighted a failed US and Israeli plan to install him as Iran’s new leader after Khamenei’s death. This plan unraveled following an Israeli airstrike meant to free Ahmadinejad from house arrest, which instead left him injured. The episode exposed deep foreign intelligence penetration in Iran and intensified internal suspicion, ultimately leading to a leadership crisis and the rise of the Revolutionary Guard’s power.