In recent weeks, Ahmadinejad’s aides have denied another rumor that he ordered his cabinet to write a pact of loyalty with the 12th Imam and throw it down a well near the holy city of Qom, where some believe the Imam is hiding. Those who give credence to the rumor point to an early decision of his cabinet to allocate $17 million to renovate the Jamkaran mosque, where devotees of the 12th Imam have prayed for centuries.