Three days ago, the influential New York Times published an article that attracted worldwide attention and sparked heated discussions, including inside Iran.
According to Oxu.Az, this is discussed in a video prepared by the "Free Iran" YouTube channel.
Citing reliable sources, the article claims that the initial goal of the war launched by the US and Israel against Iran on February 28 was to bring former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power.
The article was co-authored by prominent journalists such as Farnaz Fassihi, a specialist on Iran, and Ronen Bergman, who is said to have extensive connections in Israeli intelligence, which contributed to widespread reactions.
The article recalls a statement by Donald Trump after the first day of the war, when Iran's supreme leader and many other high-ranking officials were killed in airstrikes, that it would be better if someone from within seized power in Iran.
It is noted that at that time, ideas were put forward in Iran itself about who might be intended in this statement, including the name of former President Hassan Rouhani, a supporter of dialogue with the West.
But now it becomes clear that the US and Israel's plan for Iran did not involve any influential reformist political figure, but surprisingly a radical conservative known for his firm anti-US and anti-Israel stance.
US officials familiar with the plan told the article's authors that this scenario, prepared by Israel, had been coordinated with Ahmadinejad himself, but the course of events led to its rapid failure.
According to the article, the strikes on Ahmadinejad's home in Tehran on the first day of the war were intended to free him from house arrest and the control of IRGC forces.
However, in addition to some guards being killed, Ahmadinejad himself was injured, and in the following days he lost hope for such a regime change.
It is noted that although there were reports at the time that Ahmadinejad had been killed, this news was not confirmed. But since then, the whereabouts and condition of the former president have been unknown.
Throughout this period, Ahmadinejad has only appeared once in Iran, when he offered condolences on the death of the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
