Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has rejected a New York Times report alleging that Israel's Mossad intelligence agency had sought to recruit him, describing the claims as "completely false."
In a statement, Ahmadinejad's office accused the newspaper of publishing fabricated reports to mislead public opinion and fuel internal divisions in Iran, and also denied that he is under house arrest.
"We categorically reject all the completely false allegations promoted by The New York Times," the statement said.
The New York Times reported on Monday that Mossad had attempted in recent years to persuade Ahmadinejad to cooperate with Israel and viewed him as a potential candidate to lead Iran. The report also claimed that Israeli operatives met him abroad on several occasions and that he is under house arrest.
Last week, Ahmadinejad, who served as Iran's president from 2005 to 2013, attended the funeral of late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in his first public appearance since the US-Israeli war on Iran.
