The office of former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has strongly denied a New York Times report claiming he was in contact with Israel's Mossad as part of a plan to replace the regime in Tehran during the recent war.
In a statement, Ahmadinejad's office described the report as "an absolute lie" and "a Hollywood story" that is part of alleged psychological warfare against Iran.
According to the statement, "Ahmadinejad continues his daily life and works to serve the people of Iran. He is not under house arrest and he has no connection whatsoever to Israel."
The office added that it had refrained from responding to the newspaper's earlier report but chose to address the latest publication because of the country's sensitive situation and to prevent alleged attempts by Iran's enemies to stir internal conflict.
An official Iranian news agency also published a photograph showing Ahmadinejad consoling members of the family of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli Air Force strike.
An Iranian news website separately published photographs of Ahmadinejad meeting with friends and advisers in his office and reported that he had participated in a meeting of the Expediency Discernment Council's Economic Committee.