
conservativefreepress.com — A stunning report claims Israel and the United States quietly explored reinstalling Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran after killing Iran’s supreme leader, raising hard questions about regime-change schemes and who really drives U.S. foreign policy.
Story Snapshot
- Multiple outlets say a New York Times report describes an Israeli-devised plan, later joined by U.S. intelligence, to make former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Iran’s new leader after Ali Khamenei’s death.
- Reports say the opening strike on Ahmadinejad’s home was meant to free him from house arrest, not kill him, and that he was wounded and then vanished from public view.
- Unnamed U.S. officials and an associate of Ahmadinejad allegedly confirmed he was consulted about the plan, though no primary documents have surfaced.
- The story highlights the enduring Washington appetite for regime-change gambles that often ignore realism, democratic accountability, and the costs to ordinary Americans.
Israel-Developed Plan Reportedly Envisioned Ahmadinejad as Post-Khamenei Leader
Reporting from several outlets summarizing a New York Times investigation says Israeli planners, later joined by United States intelligence officials, crafted a multi-stage war plan against Iran that included reinstalling former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the country’s new leader after the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other senior figures.[1][2] According to these accounts, bringing Ahmadinejad back was only one phase in a broader regime-change concept built around rapid destabilization, infrastructure strikes, and political collapse leading to an “alternative government.”[1][2][3]
These reports say the plan began with a joint air campaign, allegedly labeled Operations Roaring Lion and Epic Fury, designed to decapitate Iran’s leadership and shatter its command structure.[3] Israeli officials reportedly believed that, once the regime was reeling, internal and regional pressure would topple the remaining power centers.[2][3] Only then, the plan’s supporters hoped, could a figure like Ahmadinejad emerge as a controllable strongman who might manage Iran’s “political, social, and military situation” under a new order more favorable to Western and Israeli interests.[1][2]
Alleged ‘Jailbreak’ Strike, Ahmadinejad’s Injury, and His Disappearance
Several summaries of the New York Times report contend that Ahmadinejad himself was in on discussions about his possible return to power, although none provide transcripts, documents, or on-the-record statements from him.[1][2][3] They further state that when Israel struck his residence in Tehran on the war’s opening day, the target was not Ahmadinejad but the Islamic Revolutionary Guard personnel enforcing his house arrest, in what one associate described as a “jailbreak operation.”[1][2][4] United States officials briefed on the plan allegedly confirmed this rescue framing.[1][4]
Accounts say the strike wounded Ahmadinejad, disrupted the operation, and left him shaken about the viability of the entire scheme.[1][2] Multiple outlets repeat the claim that he has not been seen publicly since that initial attack, with his condition and whereabouts remaining unknown to officials who spoke to reporters.[1][2][4] The same narrative notes that a prior report in The Atlantic had already suggested the Tehran strike was meant to free him, lending some independent alignment to the “rescue” explanation, though still without declassified operational orders or medical records to prove intent or outcomes.[3][4]
Trump’s ‘Someone from Within’ Comment and Questions About Who Drove the Plan
Coverage of the New York Times story emphasizes that the United States piece of the plan was framed as joining an Israeli initiative rather than originating in Washington, with American officials allegedly briefed after Israel had already identified Ahmadinejad as the preferred candidate.[1][2] Reports add that President Donald Trump publicly said, in the war’s early days, that it would be better if “someone from within” Iran took over, a comment that fits the logic of backing an internal figure even if it did not name Ahmadinejad.[3] No article supplied the full transcript or timing of that quote relative to planning briefings.[3]
Analysts cited in some of the coverage concede that, even if these discussions occurred, the Ahmadinejad plan was “not deeply developed” and bordered on a “far-fetched dream” rather than a mature operation with a clear chain of command, legal framework, and postwar governance structure.[3] That admission matters for Americans watching from home: it suggests elements inside the permanent foreign policy establishment may still toy with regime-change fantasies, even when realism, constitutional transparency, and the safety of United States troops and interests are all on the line with little say from the voters who foot the bill.[3]
Unanswered Evidence Gaps and What Conservative Voters Should Watch
Across these reports, key facts remain unverified in public view. None of the summaries provides primary-source documentation of Ahmadinejad’s alleged house arrest, the detailed target package for the strike on his home, or the internal memoranda laying out how a reinstated Ahmadinejad government would actually function.[1][2][3][4] There is also no sworn testimony or on-record statement from Ahmadinejad or identified aides confirming he was contacted, recruited, or later refused to cooperate after being wounded.[1][2][4]
For conservatives, the story underscores a recurring problem: national-security decisions with enormous risks for American lives, treasure, and energy markets can be shaped by unelected intelligence and diplomatic circles whose plans emerge only through leaks years later, if at all. Whether this Ahmadinejad scheme was a serious plan or a half-baked thought experiment, it fits a pattern of regime-change thinking that has too often ignored constitutional limits, congressional oversight, and the real-world cost to working families already squeezed by global instability and foreign entanglements.[1][2][3]
Sources:
[1] Web – Report: US, Israel Planned to Restore Ahmadinejad to Power in Iran
[2] Web – Israel, US tried to appoint Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iran’s new leader
[3] Web – Report claims US, Israel planned to install Ahmadinejad in Iran …
[4] Web – US, Israel planned to install Ahmadinejad in Iran and helped him …
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