The United States and Israel reportedly planned a covert operation to reinstall former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the leader of Iran [1].
This potential operation represents a significant escalation in foreign intervention. The strategy suggests a willingness by Western powers to install a hard-line figure to achieve specific strategic interests within the Iranian government [1, 3].
The plan allegedly involved a coordinated military effort between the U.S. and Israel [1, 2]. According to reports, the operation included an Israeli strike specifically designed to free Ahmadinejad from his house arrest in Tehran [1, 2].
U.S. and Israeli officials said that installing the former president would create a regime more favorable to their strategic goals [1, 3]. The details of these discussions surfaced in reporting published on 19 May 2026 [1], and were further discussed in a Geo News program that aired on 20 May 2026 [4].
However, the viability of such a plan is a subject of intense debate among analysts. Some argue that regime change in Iran is possible if it receives the correct backing from abroad [2]. Other perspectives suggest that calling for external regime change is a grave mistake [3].
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in an interview that any transition of power in Iran should originate from within the country, and be led by moderate forces rather than external military intervention [3]. This contradicts the strategy of using a hard-line figure like Ahmadinejad to stabilize or shift the regime's direction.
The complexities of Iran's internal politics mean that there are no simple solutions for regime change [3]. The reported plan to use a military strike to liberate a political prisoner and install him as head of state marks a high-risk approach to regional diplomacy [1, 2].
“The operation included an Israeli strike specifically designed to free Ahmadinejad from his house arrest in Tehran.”
The reported plan indicates a shift toward high-risk covert interventions to reshape the Iranian government. By targeting a hard-line former leader rather than moderate elements, the U.S. and Israel would be prioritizing a known entity who could potentially provide stability or specific concessions over the unpredictable nature of a grassroots democratic transition.
