Office of Iran’s former leader denies a New York Times report on an Israeli plot to elevate him
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Israeli officials have not commented publicly about the plan to install Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iran’s leader.
PHOTO: LYNSEY ADDARIO/NYTIMES
Lynsey Chutel and Sanam Mahoozi
LONDON – A statement on the social media page of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former Iranian president known for his hardline anti-Israel stance, denied on July 14 that he was at the centre of a secret Israeli operation to groom him as an intelligence asset.
A New York Times investigation, citing US and Iranian officials familiar with the operation, reported that Israel had orchestrated a years-long plan to install Ahmadinejad as Iran’s new leader once the Iran war ended.