A media outlet that publishes official news about Mahmoud Ahmadinejad confirmed many details of Iran International's report on a failed assassination attempt against the former president and has called for an official response.
According to the exclusive report by Iran International, on the afternoon of July 15, Ahmadinejad and his entourage were headed to Zanjan to participate in a religious ceremony. Before departure, the head of the security team checked a recently repaired Land Cruiser intended for Ahmadinejad and, complaining that the air conditioner was not properly fixed, requested Ahmadinejad to ride in another Land Cruiser.
In Mehr-e-Farda's report, published on the media's X account, it was mentioned that despite the original plan for Ahmadinejad to travel in the recently repaired Land Cruiser, the head of security decided that the former president should ride in another vehicle, while some members of the security team took the targeted Land Cruiser.
According to the channel affiliated with Ahmadinejad’s office, the security team realized mid-journey that the steering and brakes of the Land Cruiser were malfunctioning. The vehicle collided with other cars and eventually stopped on the side of the highway.
Iran International's report also emphasized that the steering and brakes of the Land Cruiser carrying the security team failed suddenly on the Karaj-Qazvin highway in the Abyek region. The vehicle spun around three times, veered left and right multiple times, hit the concrete barrier in the middle of the highway, collided with another vehicle in Ahmadinejad's convoy, and finally stopped after hitting a passing Peugeot on the right side of the highway.
Mehr-e-Farda pointed out that the investigation into this incident is ongoing. In a post on the channel's Telegram account, it asked, "Who is responsible for this assassination attempt?" This post was deleted without explanation early Friday morning.
Sources previously told Iran International that Ahmadinejad's office informed "responsible officials" of the incident on July 21, five days after the failed assassination attempt, and complained about multiple previous attacks and attempts on Ahmadinejad's life.
Information received by Iran International indicated that the Land Cruiser, which was sabotaged, was under the custody of the Presidential Office for repairs. However, instead of being sent to an authorized repair shop, it was handed over to unidentified "special security agents" and taken to an unknown location.
Given their organizational positions, these special security agents could belong to the higher ranks of one of three IRGC subunits: the IRGC Intelligence Organization, the IRGC Counterintelligence Organization, or the IRGC's Vali-e-Amr unit. These units have the authority to retrieve Ahmadinejad's vehicle from the Presidential Office's repair unit without coordination with the Ansar Protection Corps and could potentially carry out the alleged sabotage.
Iran International's exclusive report on the assassination attempt received widespread coverage in multiple international and some Iranian media outlets.
Among domestic media, Khabar Online noted the assassination attempt report on Ahmadinejad and wrote that "one of the figures close to the former president neither confirmed nor denied this claim."
Saberin News channel, close to security forces, confirmed the issue with Ahmadinejad's escort vehicle but wrote, "All the aforementioned news is false, and nothing happened to Ahmadinejad's vehicle."
However, neither Iran International's exclusive report nor Mehr-e-Farda's later news claimed any problem occurred with Ahmadinejad's vehicle.
Journalist Fariborz Kalantari, a day before Mehr-e-Farda's official response, posted details about the assassination attempt on his social media accounts, stating that Ahmadinejad's office is following up on the issue.
Ahmadinejad has previously spoken about assassination attempts on his life.
On August 26, 2023, the Dolat-e-Bahar Telegram channel, associated with Ahmadinejad, reported that his office sent a letter to senior military and security officials, warning of "very concerning actions" against him and calling for necessary protective measures and action against those responsible.
The channel quoted Ahmadinejad's office stating: "The recent actions clearly indicate an organized effort to assassinate Dr. Ahmadinejad."
On August 29, 2023, Alireza Beigi, a parliament member and close associate of Ahmadinejad, confirmed the Dolat-e-Bahar Telegram channel's report, saying: "Efforts to assassinate Ahmadinejad have increased in the past couple of months, and documentation of these efforts has been submitted to security agencies."
Previously, on March 1, 2021, domestic media reported that Ahmadinejad had responded to a question by saying: "The discussion of my assassination is serious. They will kill me, hold mourning ceremonies, and then accuse others. I have recorded the information I know and placed it in several secure locations."
