Iran: US and Israel had Plan to Install Hardline Former President

The US and Israel Did Have a Iran Plan

A New York Times article notes that U.S. and Israeli planners briefly considered installing hard-line former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a pliable leader of Iran after early 2026 strikes killed top Iranian officials, including the supreme leader. An Israeli strike intended to free Ahmadinejad from house arrest reportedly injured him; the scheme — part of a larger, multistage Israeli plan for regime change — quickly faltered as Iran proved more resilient than expected and many U.S. officials doubted the plan’s viability.  Israeli and U.S. planners saw Ahmadinejad, who had become estranged from Iran’s clerical leadership, as a potential figurehead to lead a post-regime government.

An Israeli strike on the first day of the war targeted guards at Ahmadinejad’s house arrest; he survived but was reportedly injured and has stayed out of public view since.

The operation was one element of a broader Israeli plan to topple Iran through targeted assassinations, influence campaigns, and political destabilization — strategies that underestimated Iran’s resilience.

Many American officials were sceptical about reinstalling Ahmadinejad and questioned the practicality and risks of forcing leadership change in Iran.

 The Wider Plan Failed

The US–Israeli plan envisioned multistage campaign (including targeted strikes) to topple Iran’s leadership and install Ahmadinejad. There was some Israeli and US officials who believed he could play a key role; others doubted he would be a viable leader. In short, the wider strategy failed to produce expected destabilization (e.g., Kurdish mobilization didn’t materialize) and collapsed.

It should be noted that this story contradicts the narrative that the US went into Iran without a plan. The plan seems to have used elements of the Venezuelian approach. Of course Iran is a more complicated case than Venzuela and this contributed to the failed toppling of the regime.