Verified source report
US and Israel ‘hoped to install Ahmadinejad as Iran’s leader’
Airstrike at the start of the war was aimed at freeing populist ex-president from house arrest, US newspaper claims Middle East crisis – live updates Fresh questions have been raised over the US and Israeli effort to depose the Iranian regime after it was claimed that Israel wanted to put the populist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in power. Ahmadinejad’s turbulent presidency, from 2005 to 2013, was marked by incendiary attacks on Israel but he recast himself as a critic of the regime and champion of the poor after falling out with the supreme leader Ali Khamenei. Continue reading...

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What happened
According to The Guardian’s source item, US and Israel ‘hoped to install Ahmadinejad as Iran’s leader’, Airstrike at the start of the war was aimed at freeing populist ex-president from house arrest, US newspaper claims Middle East crisis – live updates Fresh questions have been raised over the US and Israeli effort to depose the Iranian regime after it was claimed that Israel wanted to put the populist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in power. Ahmadinejad’s turbulent presidency, from 2005 to 2013, was marked by incendiary attacks on Israel but he recast himself as a critic of the regime and champion of the poor after falling out with the supreme leader Ali Khamenei. Continue reading…
Context
The development sits in VINI’s Global file for readers following international affairs, institutions, conflict, diplomacy, economics, and cross-border consequences. The original report is linked so readers can check the source account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The source item is dated 2026-05-20T14:40:43+00:00.
What to watch
Open questions include whether primary sources issue follow-up statements, whether local or market impacts become clearer, and whether additional reporting changes the timeline or adds material context.
Source
Primary source: US and Israel ‘hoped to install Ahmadinejad as Iran’s leader’ via The Guardian. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.
This source-cited VINI report links to the original publisher record. VINI does not republish third-party article bodies without rights clearance. 1 source listed.
Source links
- US and Israel ‘hoped to install Ahmadinejad as Iran’s leader’The Guardian - 2026-05-20T14:40:43+00:00
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