Israel's reported efforts to position former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a potential alternative to Iran's current leadership failed to gain traction. According to a report by The New York Times, Israeli officials viewed Ahmadinejad as a figure capable of challenging Iran's ruling establishment.
However, analysts also said the former president's political influence has reduced significantly since leaving office, while his strained relationship with Iran's clerical leadership has limited his ability to stage a comeback.
Ahmadinejad, who served as Iran's president from 2005 to 2013, remains a controversial figure. Although he retains a loyal support base, he has repeatedly clashed with the country's ruling establishment and has been constrained from contesting recent presidential elections.
Political observers believe that Ahmadinejad's purported ambitions have been driven more by a desire to return to power than by financial considerations.
"Ahmadinejad would not do this for money. He has money; he has a wide economic network. He would do it for power. He wants to be at the helm of power," said Abdolreza Davari, a former close associate and senior adviser of Ahmadinejad.
The assessment comes amid reports that Ahmadinejad was seen by some as a possible figure around whom opposition to Iran's current leadership could coalesce.
However, experts say the country's political system and the influence of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's establishment leave little room for such a shift.
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If true, the plan also highlighted the complex nature of Iranian domestic politics, where the Supreme Leader and major state institutions, not elected officials, hold the real power. Analysts say any attempt to change the country's leadership from outside would meet stiff institutional and political resistance.
The developments come amid heightened tensions between Israel and Iran, which continue to trade accusations over regional security and Tehran's nuclear program.
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