The United States and Israel planned to install former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iran's leader during their military campaign, according to multiple high-confidence sources [1, 2].
The plan involved an Israeli strike on Ahmadinejad's house on February 28, 2026, intended to free him from house arrest and place him in power as part of regime change efforts [1, 2]. The strike wounded Ahmadinejad and killed several guards. He survived but has since gone into hiding, with his current whereabouts unknown [1, 2].
Ahmadinejad, who was Iran’s president from 2005 to 2013, is known for his hardline anti-Western and anti-Zionist stance during his time in office [1, 2]. However, in a 2019 interview, he praised then-US President Donald Trump and advocated for cooperation between the US and Iran. He said, "Mr Trump is a man of action. He is a businessman and therefore he is capable of calculating cost-benefits and making a decision. We say to him, let’s calculate the long-term cost-benefit of our two nations and not be shortsighted" [2].
The New York Times described Ahmadinejad’s selection as "an unusual choice," highlighting the unexpected nature of the US-Israel plan [2]. Sources indicate Ahmadinejad became disillusioned with the US-Israeli plot after the strike and withdrew his cooperation, though this is reported with medium confidence [1, 2].
US President Trump had admired the success of a US special forces raid that kidnapped Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro and reportedly sought to replicate a similar regime change in Iran [2].
The Israeli strike on Ahmadinejad’s home on February 28 was a key attempt to enact the regime change strategy during ongoing military operations [1, 2]. As of today, Ahmadinejad remains in hiding with no confirmed location.
