Reports claim the U.S. and Israel planned to install former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the leader of Iran after a war.
These allegations suggest a strategic effort to shift the leadership of the Islamic Republic toward a figure perceived as more favorable to U.S. and Israeli interests. If true, such a plan would represent a significant attempt to reshape the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East by replacing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Ahmadinejad served as the president of Iran from 2005 to 2013 [1]. According to the reports, Iranian authorities suspect the former leader maintained secret links with Mossad, the intelligence agency of Israel.
The alleged plot focuses on a post-war scenario where the existing power structure in Tehran would be dismantled. The reports indicate that the U.S. and Israel viewed Ahmadinejad as a viable candidate to lead the country under new conditions.
However, these claims lack corroboration from several major news outlets. While some reports discuss the potential installation of Ahmadinejad, other coverage focuses solely on his political activities within Iran. For example, Ahmadinejad registered to run in the June 2026 Iranian election [2].
There is a notable contradiction in available reporting regarding the existence of this plan. Some sources describe a coordinated effort between Washington and Tel Aviv to install the hardliner, while others provide no mention of such a strategy, focusing instead on the domestic electoral process in Iran.
The lack of official confirmation or leaked documentation from the U.S. or Israeli governments leaves the claims largely unverified. The reports continue to circulate as part of a broader narrative concerning foreign interference in Iranian internal affairs.
“Reports claim the United States and Israel planned to install former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the leader of Iran after a war.”
The emergence of these claims highlights the deep mistrust between the Iranian government and its regional adversaries. By linking a former hardline president to Mossad, the narrative serves to undermine the legitimacy of political figures who may challenge the current clerical establishment. The disparity between these reports and mainstream diplomatic reporting suggests these allegations may be part of an information campaign rather than a documented intelligence operation.
