JERUSALEM (VINnews) — In a dramatic report published  Wednesday morning in The New York Times, it was revealed that the United States and Israel had a completely unexpected candidate in mind to replace Iran’s leadership: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former Iranian president who is considered one of Israel’s fiercest enemies.

According to the report, which is based on testimony from senior American and Iranian officials, Israel developed a complex plan for regime change in Iran, joined by U.S. intelligence agencies. The plan centered on Ahmadinejad as “someone from within” who could lead a coup, echoing previous remarks made by Donald Trump.

According to sources who spoke to the newspaper, the Israeli strike on the first day of Operation “Roaring Lion” at Ahmadinejad’s home in Tehran was not intended to assassinate him, but rather to free him from house arrest. Ahmadinejad had reportedly been under house arrest after allegedly attempting to carry out a coup in Iran.

However, the plan reportedly went dramatically wrong. Ahmadinejad nearly died in the strike, while his bodyguards absorbed the gunfire and were killed in his place. After experiencing the extreme danger firsthand, he reportedly changed his mind and decided, at least for the time being, not to participate in the planned coup operation.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly declined to comment directly on the dramatic revelation. Instead, she issued a general statement: “The U.S. military achieved all of its objectives, and now negotiators are working on a deal that will permanently end Iran’s nuclear capabilities.”

The report comes at a particularly sensitive time, as President Trump is currently debating whether to order a large-scale American strike on Iran or continue diplomatic efforts. Just yesterday, Trump stated that he had been “an hour away from ordering an attack” and was willing to give negotiations a few more days.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad served as Iran’s sixth president for about eight years and was considered one of the regime’s most vocal and aggressive anti-Israel figures. He revived Holocaust denial rhetoric and antisemitic messaging while strengthening both Hezbollah and Iran’s nuclear program.

In later years, his relationship with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei deteriorated, and his attempts to run again for president were blocked. According to previous reports, he attempted to push for a more radical direction than the existing regime, which ultimately led to his house arrest.

The joint Israeli-American plan, as now described, viewed Ahmadinejad,despite his history as a fierce enemy of Israel, as a potential candidate to replace the current Iranian regime.