New Delhi: Following the first US-Israeli strikes on Iran, President Trump allegedly mused in public that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the ex-president of Iran, would be the best man to lead the country after a regime change, according to a newsbreak by The New York Times.
The report, which has led to a controversy, raises questions over why Washington, DC, and Tel Aviv would discuss a man linked to hardline, anti-West rhetoric as part of Iran’s future leadership.Ahmadinejad was injured on the war’s first day by an Israeli strike at his home in Tehran, in what was a plan to set him free from house arrest, according to the NYT. Once it failed, Ahmadinejad allegedly “became disillusioned with the regime change plan”.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, an engineer and Conservative politician, served as Iran’s president from 2005 to 2013. A populist leader, he rose to power speaking for ordinary Iranians and challenging Western influence in West Asia. Aggressive speeches, nationalist politics, and confrontational foreign policy marked his presidency. He then served as Tehran’s mayor.Though Ahmadinejad was once seen as close to Iran’s regime, his ties reportedly weakened later. After leaving office, he criticised parts of Iran’s clerical leadership and repeatedly attempted political comebacks, only to be blocked from elections.Some suggest these tensions prompted Western leaders to believe that Ahmadinejad could be separated from Iran’s current power structure. Others believe the US-Israeli discussions reflect how regime-change calculations around Iran were uncertain and divided at the height of the war.Neither Washington, DC, nor Tel Aviv has confirmed the claims.“The plans, reported by the New York Times, were widely seen as implausible or as disinformation put out by Ahmadinejad’s supporters or the Israeli intelligence services,” The Guardian has reported.Hardline anti-US, anti-Israel stance
