Early goal of US-Israeli war on Iran was to install Ahmadinejad: NYT
The New York Times reports plan was to make Mahmoud Ahmadinejad president after airstrikes killed then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
US officials told the Times that the plan was developed by the Israelis with the approval of the United States government to replace Tehran’s leadership with what President Donald Trump had suggested in the early days of the war: it would be best if “someone from within” Iran took over the country.
That “someone” was apparently Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, “the former Iranian president known for his hardline, anti-Israel and anti-American views,” who was reportedly consulted about the regime change, according to the Times.
The Times report noted that Ahmadinejad was an “unusual choice” considering he was known during his presidency from 2005-2013 for his calls to “wipe Israel off the map.” He was also “a strong supporter of Iran’s nuclear program and fierce critic of the United States.
The initial plan, however, was quickly derailed after Ahmadinejad “was injured” by an Israeli strike at his home in Tehran that had been “designed to free him from house arrest,” according to the officials who spoke with the Times, adding that both Ahmadinejad and US officials “became disillusioned with the regime change plan” after the airstrike went awry.
The Times reported that Ahmadinejad has not been seen publicly since and that the US did not know of his current whereabouts or medical condition.
The White House did not answer the Times’ inquiry about Ahmadinejad’s role in the regime change plan, but released a statement of the United States’ directives for the war in Iran.
“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 spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement. “The United States military met or exceeded all of its objectives, and now, our neighbors are working to make a deal that would end Iran’s nuclear capabilities for good.”
The plan to replace Iran’s leader came in the wake of the capture of then-Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro nearly two months prior, on Jan. 3.
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