Appoint A Hardliner In Tehran? Inside The War’s Early Iran Regime-Change Goal

Appoint A Hardliner In Tehran? Inside The War’s Early Iran Regime-Change Goal Published By, Last Updated: May 20, 2026, 10:18 IST An Israeli air strike targeting Ahmadinejad’s home in Tehran was allegedly intended to free him from house arrest and place him in power after top Iranian leaders were killed. Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. (File Photo: X) The United States and Israel reportedly entered the early phase of the Iran war with an ambitious and controversial goal of regime change in Tehran to be led by former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a hardliner, reports New York Times. United States’s Iran regime change plan was very similar to Venezuela’s. According to US officials, an Israeli air strike targeting Ahmadinejad’s home in Tehran was allegedly intended to free him from house arrest and eventually place him in power after top Iranian leaders were killed in the opening phase of the conflict. The plan, however, quickly began to fall apart. Israeli strike linked to Ahmadinejad plan Days after Israeli strikes killed Iran’s supreme leader and other senior officials, US President Donald Trump publicly suggested that “someone from within" Iran should take over the country. Officials later revealed that the United States and Israel had a particular figure in mind – Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, despite his long record of anti-American and anti-Israel rhetoric. US officials said the Israeli strike on Ahmadinejad’s home on the first day of the war was designed to free him from confinement. According to officials and an associate of Ahmadinejad, he was injured in the strike but survived. However, the near-death experience reportedly left him disillusioned with the regime-change effort. He has not appeared publicly since then, and his whereabouts and condition remain unclear. What we know about Ahmadinejad? Ahmadinejad served as Iran’s president between 2005 and 2013 and was known for his hardline views. During his presidency, he repeatedly attacked Israel and the United States and strongly backed Iran’s nuclear programme. He was also criticised for suppressing dissent inside Iran. Among his most controversial remarks were denying the Holocaust and claiming there were no gay people in Iran. He also attended an event called “A World Without Zionism". His statements often drew international criticism and even became the subject of satire in Western media and television shows. Despite this record, some officials in Washington allegedly believed Ahmadinejad could stabilise Iran after a regime collapse. Multi-stage Iran regime change plan According to officials familiar with the planning, Israel had envisioned a multi-stage operation to topple Iran’s theocratic government. The first phase involved joint US-Israeli air strikes and the killing of Iran’s top leadership. The second stage reportedly aimed to create instability through Israeli influence operations and Kurdish mobilisation against Iranian forces. Israeli planners believed growing unrest and damage to infrastructure such as electricity systems would weaken the regime and create the conditions for an “alternative government". The final stage involved installing new leadership in Tehran. Officials said Ahmadinejad had been consulted about the broader plan, although how he was recruited remains unclear, added the NYT report. Strike on Ahmadinejad’s Tehran home US officials said the strike on Ahmadinejad’s home was carried out by the Israeli Air Force. The operation reportedly targeted guards watching over him as part of efforts to release him from house arrest. Although Ahmadinejad’s house itself was not heavily damaged, a nearby security outpost was destroyed, according to satellite imagery. Initial reports in Iranian media claimed Ahmadinejad had been killed. Later reports confirmed that he survived while members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stationed there were killed. Officials said those guards had both protected and monitored him during his confinement. An article published later described the strike as “in effect a jailbreak operation". Ahmadinejad rift with Iranian leadership After leaving office, Ahmadinejad increasingly clashed with Iran’s ruling establishment. He attempted to contest presidential elections in 2017, 2021 and 2024, but Iran’s Guardian Council blocked his candidacy each time. Over the years, he openly accused senior Iranian officials of corruption and poor governance. Although he never became a full opposition figure, Iranian authorities reportedly began treating him as politically destabilising. His movements became increasingly restricted to his home in eastern Tehran. At the same time, rumours circulated about possible links between some of his associates and Western or Israeli intelligence agencies. His former chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashai, faced scrutiny in 2018 over alleged connections to British and Israeli spy agencies. Links to the West raise questions about Ahmadinejad Ahmadinejad’s ties with the Wes