US and Israel planned to install Ahmadinejad as Iranian leader, NYT says
Yahoo • • nation
Key Points:
- The United States and Israel launched a war on Iran aiming to replace its leadership with former hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but the plan quickly failed, with Ahmadinejad’s current status unknown.
- Ahmadinejad was wounded during an Israeli strike meant to free him from house arrest in Tehran, but after surviving, he withdrew support for the regime change effort and disappeared.
- Despite his controversial past, including calls to "wipe Israel off the map" and support for Iran’s nuclear program, Ahmadinejad had expressed some willingness for rapprochement with the US, praising President Trump in a 2019 interview.
- The US hoped to replicate a model similar to the recent raid that kidnapped Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, envisioning Ahmadinejad as a leader who could manage Iran’s political, social, and military situation.
- Ahmadinejad had increasingly clashed with Iran’s regime, faced restrictions, and was disqualified from elections, with suspicions about his loyalties and alleged ties to the West or Israel contributing to his house arrest.