20.05.2026 12:12
The US planned to bring Ahmadinejad to power in the early days of the attack on Iran. According to a report in the US press, it was stated that the target of the attack near his home was not Ahmadinejad but members of the Revolutionary Guards who were monitoring his house arrest. While it was stated that the plan failed despite the killing of Ali Khamenei, it was reported that Ahmadinejad has been missing since that day.
The US-based New York Times (NYT) newspaper, in a report citing American officials, claimed that one of the targets in the early stages of the US and Israel's war against Iran was to bring former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad back to power. The report alleged that the plan was part of a "regime change" strategy and that Israel conducted an attack aimed at freeing Ahmadinejad from house arrest in Tehran.
ISRAEL AIMED TO FREE AHMADINEJAD FROM HOUSE ARREST
NYT recalled an Israeli strike in the early days of the war in which Ahmadinejad was wounded but survived, alleging that the attack was intended to free him from house arrest. According to US officials speaking to NYT, the strike targeted the security checkpoint at the entrance of the street where Ahmadinejad was located. A source close to Ahmadinejad who spoke to NYT also stated the attack was carried out to free him from house arrest. The report reminded that Ahmadinejad had traveled to Guatemala and Hungary before the Iran war.
In the report, it was emphasized that Ahmadinejad's election was "quite unusual," and it was recalled that the former president was known during his 2005-2013 tenure for his harsh anti-Israel statements, support for Iran's nuclear program, and repressive policies towards internal opposition.
THEY AIMED TO BRING AHMADINEJAD TO POWER
According to NYT, the multi-stage plan developed by Israel aimed to overthrow Iran's religious leadership and replace it with a more "compliant" administration. The report also noted that some American officials were skeptical of the idea of bringing Ahmadinejad back to power.
THE PLAN COLLAPSED IN A SHORT TIME
The report included commentary that despite the assassination of the then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and aerial attacks on Iran, the plan largely failed, and the fact that Iran's government did not collapse dashed the expectations of Israel and the US.
HIS WHEREABOUTS ARE UNKNOWN
When the war broke out, Ahmadinejad limited himself to sharing a few statements on social media. His relative silence on the war against a country he long considered Iran's main enemy was noticed by many on Iranian social media. According to an analysis by FilterLabs, a company monitoring public sentiment, discussions about Ahmadinejad increased on Iranian social media following news of his death.
AHMADINEJAD KNOWN FOR FIERCE OUTBURSTS
Ahmadinejad, who served as President of Iran from 2005 to 2013, stood out for his populist rhetoric on the economy and harsh anti-Western and anti-Israel outbursts. In the post-presidential period, Ahmadinejad's applications for candidacy in the 2017, 2021, and 2024 presidential elections were vetoed by Iran's Guardian Council. It is known that the decisions of this council in Iran are ultimately aligned with the political line of the Supreme Leader.