&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seen in Tehran memorial after report claimed IRGC put him under house arrest")
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared at a funeral memorial event in Tehran. He was shown on the Iranian state a day after the New York Times reported that he was put under house arrest by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as they uncovered his secret meetings with Mossad chief David Barnea in 2024. Israel had reportedly spent years grooming Ahmadinejad as an asset to install him as the next leader of Iran. The plan was reportedly to take him into a safe house after the February 28 joint US-Israeli operation.
He was photographed with many senior Iranian officials like President Masoud Pezeshkian, Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani, judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. He was seen in the video smiling and waving at someone off camera. Reports suggest that it was his second public appearance within the week. He also reportedly attended Khamenei's funeral on Monday.
Ahmadinejad's office dismissed these reports as “Hollywood-style claims” and suggested that these were not “worthy of denial.” It accused the newspaper of pushing “fabricated” material and denied any submission that he was under house arrest, adding that he was working as usual. His office also said that it was psychological warfare aimed at sowing confusion among the Iranian political leadership. The alleged Israeli effort was also seen in a post by a Persian-language account associated with the Mossad. It featured an AI-generated image of several senior Iranian figures, including Ahmadinejad, Pezeshkian, Ghalibaf, Qaani and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, each bearing a Star of David on their hands, under the caption: “Which one?”
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad maintains a complicated relationship with the Iranian leadership. He has grown cynical of the suppression of protests and economic corruption since he left office. He was a vocal anti-Israeli campaigner and revived Iran's nuclear programme during his time as President.
