Early War Goal Was to Install Hard Line Former President as Iran’s Leader

THE NEW YORK TIMES: An Israeli strike designed to free Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from house arrest in Tehran, U.S. officials said, was part of an effort to bring about regime change and put him in power.

This image comes from this NYT article. | Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran registering as a candidate in the presidential election in Tehran in 2024. | Arash Khamooshi/Polaris for The New York Times
Days after Israeli strikes killed Iran’s supreme leader and other top officials in the opening salvos of the war, President Trump mused publicly that it would be best if “someone from within” Iran took over the country.

It turns out that the United States and Israel went into the conflict with a particular and very surprising someone in mind: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former Iranian president known for his hard-line, anti-Israel and anti-American views.

But the audacious plan, developed by the Israelis and which Mr. Ahmadinejad had been consulted about, quickly went awry, according to the U.S. officials who were briefed on it.

Mr. Ahmadinejad was injured on the war’s first day by an Israeli strike at his home in Tehran that had been designed to free him from house arrest, the American officials and an associate of Mr. Ahmadinejad said. He survived the strike, they said, but after the near miss he became disillusioned with the regime change plan.

He has not been seen publicly since then and his current whereabouts and condition are unknown. » | Mark Mazzetti, Julian E. Barnes, Farnaz Fassihi and Ronen Bergman | The reporters have been covering the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. | Published: Tuesday, May 19, 2026. Updated: Wednesday, May 20, 2026

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Can the US Force Regime Change upon Iran and Depose the Ayatollah?

THE TELEGRAPH: Trump has made the goal of his military action clear, but he won’t want to see a repetition of the disasters in Iraq and Afghanistan

Donald Trump has called for regime change in Iran after the US launched “major combat operations” against the Islamic Republic.

The US president said American forces were “undertaking a massive and ongoing operation to prevent this very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests”.

“We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground,” he added in his address from his Mar-a-Lago resort.

Trump’s remarks came as enormous explosions rocked the capital, Tehran, with the first strike appearing to target the offices of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader. » | Richard Oliphant, Chief Foreign Analyst | Saturday, February 28, 2026

I'll tell you where they need regime change... They need it in America. Badly! — © Mark Alexander

We've Seen This Before, a Conversation with Anne Applebaum

Feb 23, 2025 | Regime change, techno authoritarianism, and the institutions of state

Iran's National Team Stages Protest at Their First Game in Qatar | DW News

Nov 22, 2022 | In Iran, rights groups say security forces have killed a dozen people in the last 24 hours in a crackdown on demonstrators in Kurdish-populated regions. Activists say five people were killed when police opened fire on protesters in the western town of Javanrud.

Kurdish regions have been a focus of anti-government protests since the death of Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police in September.

While the national anthem played ahead of the national team's first game against England, the players stood silently, refusing to sing. Their decision was met with raucous cheers from the Iran fans, who tried to drown out the anthem with boos for the music and cheers of support for the players. Some applauded with tears in their eyes.

Nina Khrushcheva: Talks to End War in Ukraine Are Collapsing as US Seeks Regime Change in Moscow

May 19, 2022 • As the United Nations warns about the devastating global impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, talks to negotiate a peace settlement appear to have collapsed. Russian President Vladimir Putin appears determined to push forward despite a more resilient Ukrainian defense than expected, as both sides seem to be fixated on gaining military and territorial victories. Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to pour millions of dollars in weapons into Ukraine. “It does seem that the United States thinks that Ukraine should be supported in its war effort, not its negotiation effort, until the very end,” says Nina Khrushcheva, professor at The New School and the great-granddaughter of former Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. She also speaks about the current climate of civil society within Russia and the faulty intelligence that led Putin to decide to invade Ukraine.

The Coup in the Kremlin: How Putin and the Security Services Captured the Russian State »

Putin Can 'Never Be Welcomed Back into the International Community'

Mar 29, 2022 • Retired Four Star General Barry McCaffrey and NBC News White House correspondent Mike Memoli on President Biden insisting that it is his personal view that Putin cannot remain in power, and that his comments over the weekend in Poland were not advocating for regime change.

Bill Browder: Russians Are 'Effectively Hostages to Vladimir Putin' as Sanctions Take Effect

Mar 27, 2022 • William Browder is the man behind the Magnitsky Act, which led to the first set of serious sanctions levied against Russian oligarchs for their human rights abuses. Sanctions have now been imposed against a wide swath of Russian elites and state-run businesses, destroying the Russian economy. And that economic pain has trickled down to average Russian citizens. “They are all effectively hostages to Vladimir Putin,” says Browder. But as Vladimir Putin continues his unprovoked war against Russia, Browder thinks more needs to be done. “It’s unfortunate that Russian people have to suffer but Ukrainian people are dying right now and we have to do everything that we possibly can to put pressure on Putin.”

Nobody should try and backtrack on Biden’s words. Putin is a wicked SOB who doesn’t deserve to be the president of any country, still less of a great country such as Russia. Kick him out of office – now! One thing Putin is assured of: He will have a hot place in Hell next to Hitler when the time comes. – © Mark