Israel and the United States went into Operations Roaring Lion and Epic Fury with the goal of reinstating former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the nation's new leader, according to a Tuesday New York Times report citing US officials briefed on the matter.
An associate of Ahmadinejad told the NYT that the Americans viewed Mr. Ahmadinejad as someone who could lead Iran and manage “Iran’s political, social, and military situation.”
Ahmadinejad served as Iranian president from 2005 until 2013. Following this, he has been barred three times from running for president again by an unelected 12-member Guardian Council, in 2017, 2021, and 2024. After the 2017 disqualification, he reportedly also became a vocal critic of Ali Khamenei.
He is also known, per the NYT, for his hard-line anti-Israel and anti-American views.
Ahmadinejad’s freedom of movement had been restricted following the mass anti-regime protests in January, according to a March report by The Atlantic. His phones were reportedly confiscated, and the number of his bodyguards was raised to approximately 50.
The March Atlantic report also revealed that the joint Israel-US strike on Ahmadinejad's home was an attempt to free rather than assassinate him. Following this discovery, an associate of the former Iranian president told the NYT he did indeed view the strike as a jailbreak attempt.
The plan to reinstall Ahmadinejad was initially developed by Israel and had been discussed with him, the NYT claimed. However, the report said the plan ultimately failed after he was wounded during the jailbreak attempt and his whereabouts and condition since the strike are unknown. Since his alleged escape, Ahmadinejad has delivered a few public addresses, including a congratulatory message on Mojtaba Khamenei’s rise to the position of supreme leader.
Ahmadinejad would have been an unusual choice
The NYT reported that Ahmadinejad would have been a highly unorthodox choice to replace the current Iranian regime, noting that during his term as president, he was known for his calls to "wipe Israel off the map." He was also a strong proponent of Iran's nuclear program, the NYT noted.
Neither US nor Israeli officials commented on the matter directly when asked by the NYT.
“From the outset, President Trump was clear about his goals for Operation Epic Fury: destroy Iran’s ballistic missiles, dismantle their production facilities, sink their navy, and weaken their proxy,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told the NYT in response to a request for comment about the regime change plan and Ahmadinejad.
“The United States military met or exceeded all of its objectives, and now, our negotiators are working to make a deal that would end Iran’s nuclear capabilities for good.”
The spokesperson for Israel's Mossad was also contacted by the NYT for a comment and declined.
Ahmadinejad expresses support for Trump, Pahlavi royal family
Despite being vocal about his distaste for the US and Israel, Ahmadinejad praised US President Donald Trump in a 2019 NT interview.
“Mr. Trump is a man of action,” Ahmadinejad said in 2019. “He is a businessman, and therefore he is capable of calculating cost-benefits and making a decision. We say to him, let’s calculate the long-term cost-benefit of our two nations and not be shortsighted.”
What is more, the NYT reported that people close to the former Iranian president have been accused of spying for Israel and having close ties to Western powers. Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, Ahmadinejad’s former chief of staff, was put on trial in 2018, and the judge in the case publicly asked about his links to British and Israeli spy agencies, according to the NYT.
In 2024, Iran International reported that Ahmadinejad said that he would be open to economic relations and talks with the United States under a Trump presidency.
He has also been vocal in his support of the Iranian monarchy, whose head, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, has been outspoken against the Iranian regime.
“They [The Pahlavi monarchy] contributed to the country even before the [Islamic] revolution took place,” Ahmadinejad reportedly said in 2017. “While we may have reservations about certain methods they employed, they also aimed to address inflation and improve welfare during that period."
Miriam Sela-Eitam contributed to this report.