Washington, DC [US], July 14 (ANI): Israel dedicated years to a clandestine endeavour aimed at developing former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a prospective intelligence asset and a potential head of Iran if a change of regime occurred, according to a report by The New York Times, which cited American, Israeli and Iranian officials familiar with the covert effort.

The reported operation represents a staggering shift in the dynamic between Israel and Ahmadinejad, who, during his tenure as Iran's president from 2005 to 2013, expedited Tehran's nuclear ambitions, frequently demanded Israel's annihilation and denied the Holocaust.

However, behind closed doors, Israeli intelligence operatives reportedly began to perceive the formerly hardline politician as a viable instrument for regime change after he became estranged from Iran's governing hierarchy, the report stated.

According to former American officials quoted in the report, the then Mossad chief, David Barnea, journeyed to Budapest to hold a face-to-face meeting with Ahmadinejad. Shortly following the encounter, the Mossad notified the CIA that communication had successfully been initiated with the former Iranian leader.

The report detailed that Tel Aviv's focus on Ahmadinejad intensified following his striking political evolution after exiting the presidency.

He openly censured Iran's domestic security organs, highlighted prevalent corruption, traded his recognisable khaki attire for bespoke suits, allegedly received Botox treatments, mastered the English language and worked to project a significantly more moderate public persona, while also traversing Iran to engage with loyalists and maintaining aspirations of reclaiming political power.

According to a close associate cited by The New York Times, Ahmadinejad deduced that a return to office would be impossible under Iran's current political framework, leading him to believe he could position himself as a reformer if the ruling administration fractured.

The report noted that Israeli intelligence closely tracked the expanding alienation between Ahmadinejad and Tehran's top brass, identifying his deep-seated bitterness towards Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other high-ranking figures as a strategic opening.

Concurrently, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reportedly grew profoundly wary of his foreign interactions, especially in the wake of his public correspondence sent to Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

According to the report, Israel's strategic designs culminated during the initial phase of the military conflict between the US, Israel and Iran in late February.

Ahmadinejad served as the sixth president of Iran from 2005 to 2013, with his administrative tenure generating substantial friction both domestically and globally. Within Iran, his governance drew sharp rebukes over fiscal strategies and an apparent indifference towards human rights.

On the international stage, he attracted heavy censure for his aggressive posture towards Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, the United States and various other Western and Arab governments.

His highly contested electoral victory in 2009 triggered massive public demonstrations across Iran and drew widespread condemnation from Western capitals.

During his second presidential term, Ahmadinejad openly feuded with the legislature, the Revolutionary Guard and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei over the ouster of intelligence minister Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i and his staunch promotion of his top confidant, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei.

In 2012, he made history as the first head of state of the Islamic Republic to be officially called before Parliament to face questioning regarding his executive governance.

Legally restricted by the constitution from pursuing a third straight term, Ahmadinejad championed Mashaei's failed 2013 presidential campaign before Hassan Rouhani secured the presidency.

He subsequently attempted to run in the 2017, 2021 and 2024 presidential races, but the Guardian Council disqualified his candidacy on all three occasions, during which he also voiced public criticism against Iran's establishment during the 2017-18 civil unrest. (ANI)