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Inside Israel’s Secret Operation to Cultivate Ahmadinejad
The New York Times • • general
Key Points:
- In early 2024, a top Hungarian government official instructed Professor Gergely Deli, rector of Ludovika University of Public Service in Budapest, to host a climate change conference inviting former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
- The conference was a cover for secret meetings between Ahmadinejad and Israeli intelligence operatives, despite their countries being adversaries.
- Professor Deli accepted the invitation, believing facilitating dialogue between enemies could potentially save lives, despite the risk to his and the university's reputations.
- Ahmadinejad’s visits in 2024 and 2025 were part of a covert Israeli operation aimed at grooming him as an intelligence asset to potentially become Iran’s future leader.
- The information comes from American and Iranian officials familiar with the intelligence operation, who spoke anonymously due to the sensitivity of the matter.
