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Jfeed Staff

Mossad cultivated Ahmadinejad as intelligence asset, paid for housing and travel

Former Mossad chief David Barnea traveled to Budapest in 2024 to meet former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as part of a years-long covert operation to cultivate him as an intelligence asset and potential future Iranian leader, according to a New York Times investigation. Israel secretly paid for Ahmadinejad's housing and travels in recent years, with Mossad operatives meeting him multiple times outside Iran, including in Budapest. Ahmadinejad has undergone a transformation since leaving office, moderating his positions, reducing anti-Israeli rhetoric, criticizing Iran's security forces and government corruption, and learning English. He is currently under house arrest by the Revolutionary Guards.