The office of former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday rejected the report in The New York Times alleging that the Mossad had recruited him for a regime-change plan in Iran and that then-Mossad chief David Barnea personally traveled to Budapest to meet Ahmadinejad as part of the recruitment efforts.
In a statement quoted by Iran International, Ahmadinejad’s office said The New York Times’ “Hollywood-style claims" did not merit a denial and described the newspaper as “known for publishing fake news and fabricating lies."
The former president’s office also accused the newspaper of being willing to publish fabricated articles and reports in exchange for payment.
The statement rejected claims that Ahmadinejad had been placed under house arrest, stressing he remained active and was continuing his daily work.
During his tenure as president from 2005 to 2013, Ahmadinejad was a notorious fundamentalist who aggressively accelerated Iran's uranium enrichment program, violently suppressed domestic protests, and infamously and repeatedly called to wipe Israel off the map and also denied the Holocaust.
Before leaving office in 2013, Ahmadinejad said that denying the Holocaust was his “proudest moment" as President.
In 2019, the former President insisted that he is not an antisemite and is merely opposed to the “Zionist government".
Ahmadinejad was seen last week attending a funeral procession for slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran, marking his first public appearance.