Did Israel's Mossad Secretly Try to Recruit Former Iranian President Ahmadinejad? He Responds

TEHRAN, July 14: Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday dismissed a report by The New York Times alleging that Israel's Mossad intelligence agency sought to recruit him and that he is currently under house arrest, calling the claims "completely false."

In a statement, Ahmadinejad's office accused the newspaper of publishing fabricated reports intended to mislead public opinion and create internal divisions within Iran.

The statement also rejected the claim that the former president is under house arrest, describing it as a fabricated allegation used to support what it called the newspaper's "absurd" assertions.

"We categorically reject all the completely false allegations promoted by The New York Times," the statement said.

The New York Times reported on Monday that Mossad had allegedly attempted in recent years to persuade Ahmadinejad to cooperate with Israel and viewed him as a potential candidate to lead Iran. The report also claimed that Ahmadinejad is under house arrest, allegations that his office has firmly denied.