Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made a public statement in which he said his mother voted for the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for 30 years, as the New York Times reports that he is under house arrest by the IRGC over alleged ties to Israel. The quote, reported by Israeli journalist Asaf Rozenzweig (N12), appears to be a dismissive response to the regime.
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad issued a statement saying his mother voted for the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for 30 years, a remark that appears to dismiss reports that he is under house arrest by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence organization over alleged ties to Israel. The quote, reported by Israeli journalist Asaf Rozenzweig (N12) citing the New York Times, is the first public comment from Ahmadinejad since the arrest report emerged.
At 13:23 Jerusalem, the New York Times, citing four senior Iranian officials, reported that Ahmadinejad was arrested by the IRGC intelligence unit after his alleged connection to Israel was exposed as part of a plan to overthrow the regime. Despite appearing publicly last week, officials said he is now in custody. At 13:42 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that the Times also revealed that former Mossad chief Dedi Barnea met with Ahmadinejad in a secret Israeli operation to cultivate him as an intelligence asset to lead Iran after the fall of the regime — an operation that reached its peak in the early days of the war before collapsing.
As The Zioneer has reported in recent days, the regime faces internal turmoil, including the killing of two IRGC members during Khamenei's funeral on Jul 10 and the arrest of a suspect for allegedly leaking classified data to a 'Zionist-American entity' on Jun 15. The Ahmadinejad affair unfolds against this backdrop of deepening power struggles within the Islamic Republic.
Ahmadinejad's statement — noting his mother's long voting record for Khamenei — may be interpreted as a defiant jab at the regime, suggesting he is still able to make public remarks despite his reported detention. The regime has not officially confirmed the arrest, and the extent of his detention remains unclear. The situation continues to develop.
5 developments
- ConfirmedNew details on Mossad's Ahmadinejad operation: failed rescue, extraction, house arrest
- DevelopingReport: Mossad agents extracted Ahmadinejad after Israeli strike on his compound on Feb. 28
- StrongNYT: Israel paid former Iranian president Ahmadinejad, attempted rescue on Operation Roaring Lion opening day
- DevelopingNYT: Mossad contacts with Ahmadinejad began in 2023, included Budapest meetings with then-chief Barnea
Source and signal
- Internal intake