Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Mahmoud AhmadinejadReuters

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is signaling a return to politics. Iran’s hardline former president, who prided himself on his denial of the Holocaust, on Sunday launched his official website, in a possible return to the political scene, according to AFP.

The site, Ahmadinejad.ir, showing the former president with a big smile, was launched at the same time as his Google+ page and an account on Instagram.

The hardline conservative has mostly stayed out of the public eye since his mandate ended in June 2013 and the election of Hassan Rouhani. He did, however, challenge Rouhani to a public debate in late 2013, after Rouhani criticized his predecessor for the way he handled the economy.

Last month, Mohammad Reza Rahimi, Iran's first vice president under Ahmadinejad, was sentenced to five years in prison, state media said.

The supreme court's verdict came after a long-running trial on what Iranian media said were corruption charges.

Ahmadinejad has said the charges against Rahimi stemmed from before the time he was named vice president.

In addition to his anti-Israel statements and his denial of the Holocaust, Ahmadinejad is remembered for his hotly contested re-election in 2009. Hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated in Tehran after the election, claiming that their votes had been stolen. In the ensuing crackdown, hundreds were killed and thousands jailed.

A video which emerged several months ago of a speech by an Iranian military commander appears to back claims that the 2009 elections were rigged against the reformists.