Israel's Mossad intelligence agency maintained secret contacts with former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for several years as part of an unsuccessful plan to recruit him and ultimately position him as Iran's future leader, according to former US officials, The Caspian Post reports, citing The New York Times.

According to the report, Mossad kept a covert line of communication with Ahmadinejad and allegedly covered expenses related to travel and accommodation for confidential meetings held outside Iran, including in Budapest.

The report stated that then-Mossad chief David Barnea met Ahmadinejad in the Hungarian capital in 2024 before informing the CIA that a communication channel had been successfully established.

According to the newspaper, Israeli officials regarded Ahmadinejad as a possible candidate to play a leading role in Iran after the fall of the Islamic Republic, despite his longstanding anti-Israel rhetoric and his involvement in advancing Iran's nuclear programme during his time in office.