Early War Goal Was to Install Hard-Line Former President as Iran’s Leader
nytimes.com/…us/politics/iran-israel-us-leader-ah…
An Israeli strike designed to free Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from house arrest in Tehran, U.S. officials said, was part of an effort to bring about regime change and put him in power.
By Mark MazzettiJulian E. BarnesFarnaz Fassihi and Ronen Bergman
The reporters have been covering the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.
May 19, 2026
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Days after Israeli strikes killed Iran’s supreme leader and other top officials in the opening salvos of the war, President Trump mused publicly that it would be best if “someone from within” Iran took over the country.
It turns out that the United States and Israel went into the conflict with a particular and very surprising someone in mind: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former Iranian president known for his hard-line, anti-Israel and anti-American views.
But the audacious plan, developed by …More