Israel Attempted to Recruit Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Lead Post-Regime Iran

Recruitment and Meetings in Budapest

The effort was driven by the perception that the former president had become increasingly disillusioned with the existing regime’s leadership, specifically Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Israeli officials identified Ahmadinejad as a viable candidate to lead a transition due to his public criticism of government corruption and his attempts to cultivate a more moderate image, which included improving his English and distancing himself from his previous hardline rhetoric.

According to Timesofisrael, the operation intensified in 2024 when then-Mossad chief David Barnea personally met with Ahmadinejad on the sidelines of a climate conference in Budapest. The invitation to the event was orchestrated by Israeli intelligence to provide a secure cover for the meetings. A second encounter occurred in June 2025, during which Israeli operatives reportedly met with the former president again. During this period, Israeli officials provided financial support for Ahmadinejad’s travel and housing.

The February 2026 Extraction Attempt

The plot reached a critical juncture on February 28, 2026, when the United States and Israel launched a series of military strikes against Iran. Following the death of Ali Khamenei during the campaign, Mossad agents attempted to extract Ahmadinejad from his residence in Tehran. The mission involved driving the former president to a secure safe house to protect him as the regime’s power structure faltered.

However, the plan faltered shortly thereafter. Reports indicate that Ahmadinejad became disillusioned with the Israeli-led strategy. He left the designated safe house under mysterious circumstances and was subsequently taken into custody by the intelligence wing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). His status remains unclear, though he was briefly seen at the funeral of the late Supreme Leader on July 6, 2026, under heavy guard.

Strategic Disagreements and the Kurdish Intervention

The failure of the broader regime-change strategy has been attributed by some to a collapse in the sequence of planned operations. Jpost that former Israeli Military Intelligence chief Tamir Hayman indicated the plan to replace the regime was tied to a larger, undisclosed sequence of events.

“Regarding Ahmadinejad, there was a sequence of special operations, very, very unique that was supposed to happen. And Ahmadinejad was a part of that sequence. The rest of the operations are not fully disclosed to the public, except for the Kurdish invasion.”

Tamir Hayman, former head of Israeli Military Intelligence, via The Jerusalem Post

This “Kurdish invasion” was intended to be the central ground component of the effort to topple the regime, utilizing experienced Kurdish fighters to initiate an internal thrust against the IRGC. According to the Post, the operation was aborted after U.S. President Donald Trump, influenced by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s concerns regarding Kurdish sovereignty, declined to move forward with the plan. This decision left the Mossad’s efforts to utilize Ahmadinejad isolated and, ultimately, unsuccessful in achieving a shift in Iranian governance.

Find more reporting in our World section.