In a striking disclosure, The New York Times has reported that the United States and Israel went into their war against Iran with a specific and deeply unlikely candidate in mind for the country's leadership: former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a man who spent years threatening to wipe Israel off the map.
NYT journalist Ronen Bergman flagged the report on X, noting that days after Israeli strikes killed Iran's Supreme Leader, President Donald Trump had publicly mused 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," Bergman wrote.
The Plan
According to the NYT report, the operation — called "Operation Epic Fury" — involved Mossad consulting with Ahmadinejad despite his past anti-Israel rhetoric.
The broader strategy was reportedly designed in several stages and largely coordinated by Israeli intelligence, beginning with extensive US and Israeli air strikes, the targeted killing of Iran's senior leadership, and a planned Kurdish uprising against the Iranian military that ultimately never materialised.
US officials believed Ahmadinejad could manage Iran's unstable political environment in the event of a regime collapse.
An associate of Ahmadinejad confirmed to the NYT that the Americans viewed him as someone capable of managing "Iran's political, social and military situation".
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The Strike on His Home
US officials told the NYT that an Israeli Air Force strike on Ahmadinejad's home in Tehran on the first day of the war was meant to kill the guards watching over him — effectively a jailbreak operation to free him from the house arrest he had been under for several years.
The strike, however, nearly killed him instead. Ahmadinejad reportedly survived but became disillusioned with the broader plan, and has not appeared publicly since. His current whereabouts remain unknown.
An Unlikely Choice
During his presidency from 2005 to 2013, Ahmadinejad denied the Holocaust, repeatedly spoke of removing Israel from the map, and strongly defended Iran's nuclear programme.
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Yet his relationship with Iran's ruling establishment had changed dramatically after he left office — he clashed openly with Khamenei, was barred from running in multiple presidential elections, and grew increasingly critical of the clerical leadership.
The plan ultimately failed. The anticipated regime collapse did not occur, and the NYT reported that planners significantly underestimated Iran's institutional resilience.
White House Denied
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly, however, maintained that the military had achieved its core objectives. She said the administration's goals were to "destroy Iran's ballistic missiles, dismantle their production facilities, sink their navy, and weaken their proxy."
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