Former Iranian President Ahmadinejad Denies Contact with Israeli Intelligence

The office of former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad issued a statement on July 14, denying a New York Times report that he had been placed under house arrest and had been in contact with Israeli intelligence agencies. According to Jin10, the statement described the report as "false" and a "Hollywood-style fiction." The New York Times reported on July 13 that Israeli intelligence had contacted Ahmadinejad and moved him to a "safe location" after the first U.S.-Israeli strikes on Tehran. The report also claimed that Ahmadinejad later left that location and was placed under house arrest by Iranian authorities. In response, Ahmadinejad's office called the report "fake news" and "absurd," accusing it of exploiting Iran's current sensitive situation to confuse public opinion and wage psychological warfare against the entire Iranian nation. As of now, U.S., Israeli, and Iranian officials have not publicly confirmed the New York Times report. Ahmadinejad served as President of Iran from 2005 to 2013.