NYT: ‘Mr. Ahmadinejad’s 2024 visit to the university and a second one the following year were part of a yearslong Israeli effort to groom him as an intelligence asset who, when the time came, could be installed as Iran’s new leader. (…) Recruiting Mr. Ahmadinejad was of such priority for Israel that the country’s then-spy chief David Barnea even traveled to the Hungarian capital in 2024 to meet with Mr. Ahmadinejad personally, according to former American officials.’

And: ‘He abandoned his signature oversize khaki windbreaker and began wearing tailored suits. He groomed his messy beard, appeared to get Botox treatment and began learning English.’

Also: ‘Dressed in a tailored dark blue suit, he spoke about “shared humanity” and a “changing world order.”’

A changing world order, a changing Ahmadinejad. It didn’t end well for him, nor for Israel or the US.

Remember Bashir—Lebanon, 1982. Same mistake, different country.

(a sf 2180)