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The U.S. and Israel considered installing former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after launching the war on Iran and killing then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the opening airstrikes on Feb. 28, according to a New York Times report published Tuesday.
Citing U.S. officials, the newspaper said the proposal formed part of a broader Israeli regime-change plan approved by Washington, aimed at reshaping Iran’s leadership after the start of the conflict.
The plan aligned with comments made by President Donald Trump in the early days of the war, when he suggested Iran’s future leadership should come from within the country.
According to the report, the figure selected for that role was Ahmadinejad, the former Iranian president known for his hardline rhetoric, anti-Israel stance and anti-American views.
The report described Ahmadinejad as an unexpected candidate given his political record.
During his 2005-2013 presidency, Ahmadinejad was known for calls to “wipe Israel off the map,” strong backing for Iran’s nuclear program, criticism of the United States and a harsh response to domestic dissent.
The newspaper said Ahmadinejad was consulted as part of the proposed transition, although it remains unclear how contacts with him were established.
The effort reportedly began to unravel on the first day of the war after Ahmadinejad was injured in an Israeli strike on his residence in Tehran.
US officials cited by the report said the operation had been intended to free Ahmadinejad from house arrest, but both he and US officials later lost confidence in the plan after the mission failed to unfold as expected.
The report said Ahmadinejad survived the strike but has not appeared publicly since.
According to The New York Times, U.S. officials are unaware of his current location or medical condition.
The newspaper said the Ahmadinejad proposal was one element of a wider Israeli effort aimed at removing Iran’s ruling system.
It added that the episode illustrated how Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu entered the conflict while also pursuing leadership change in Iran, an approach that some Trump officials reportedly viewed as unrealistic.
The White House did not comment directly on Ahmadinejad’s reported role.
Instead, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly reiterated Washington’s military objectives 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,” Kelly said.
“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,” she added.
The leadership transition idea reportedly gained momentum after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro earlier in the year and Washington’s experience in finding a cooperative interim alternative.
Iran, however, proved far more complicated, leaving major unanswered questions over how Ahmadinejad was expected to assume power and how the failed strike affected the broader plan.
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