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| Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad |
The office of former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad issued a statement in response to a New York Times report about his secret relationship with Mossad and house arrest, describing the report as a "lie and incitement to sedition."
A statement from Ahmadinejad's office denied the claim that he was under house arrest, explaining that the New York Times had published "false news and baseless lies."
The statement said: "This newspaper, which is willing to publish false articles and news about disreputable and well-known figures in exchange for money, claimed that Mr. Ahmadinejad was under house arrest to support its ridiculous claim."
The statement added: “ On May 20, the New York Times published a completely false story against Mr. Ahmadinejad, in an attempt to exploit the political sensitivities arising from military threats to mislead public opinion, given his widespread popularity, in order to wage psychological warfare against the entire noble Iranian nation.”
He stressed that "now, by repeating the same narrative and adding details, they are seeking to incite sedition."
The office of the former Iranian president explained that "the newspaper's lack of credibility and the absurdity of the scenario it presented prevented it from being taken seriously. To compensate for its failure, this newspaper, known for publishing false news and slander, returned after 55 days to present the same shameful scenario, trying to incite sedition by promoting malicious lies."
He noted that “although we still believe that the Hollywood claims in the New York Times do not warrant a denial, given the political considerations and the sensitive circumstances of the country, and to deter the sedition of the enemies, and while we categorically deny all the completely false claims of the disgraceful newspaper and the dirty elements involved in the aforementioned sedition, we declare to the great and noble Iranian people that their beloved son and servant is proud and steadfast, as always, and at the service of every one of these noble people.”
Ahmadinejad's office concluded its statement with a "categorical denial" of all the allegations in the New York Times report, stating that Ahmadinejad is "always busy with current affairs" and is not under house arrest.
The New York Times had previously reported that Mossad had been trying to persuade Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to cooperate with Israel in recent years and viewed him as a potential candidate to lead Iran. The report also claimed that Ahmadinejad was currently under house arrest.
