Truth they say, is stranger than fiction: Imagine a Holocaust-denying, Jew-hating anti-American washed up politician as Washington’s choice for president after the Islamic regime in Iran had collapsed.
That man was Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a former president of Iran (2005-13) who had apparently broken with the clerical regime after his candidature for another presidential run had been rejected no less than three times. He had also been critical of the clerical leadership and their backers for alleged corruption.
According to The New York Times, the plan to restore Ahmadinejad had been worked out by the US and Israel, and it would appear, had his approval because he had visited Guatemala and Hungary, countries considered close to Israel.
Recall Trump had also hinted at “someone from within” who would take control of Iran after regime collapse. But the point about Ahmadinejad is he is hardly a Western-style reformer or even a democrat.
As president of Iran, he was accused of shoving Islamic ideology down the throats of his countrymen and women. He claimed to have fought with the Revolutionary Guard in Iran’s decade long war against Iraq although others say there is no record of that. But he did serve in the Basiji, the thuggish force used by the regime against dissenters.
In sum, the very choice of Ahmadinejad by the US and Israel underscores the nature of their operation: to have a man in Tehran beholden to them, who would do as they bid. This had nothing to do with democracy or human rights.
In the end everything went haywire. Ahmadinejad was apparently confined to his home in a Tehran suburb with personnel of the Revolutionary Guard keeping an eye on him. A missile strike killed the guard but also injured Ahmadinejad and at the time of this writing, his whereabouts are unclear.
Israel has not responded to questions about the “Ahmadinejad Gambit”. The US response was circumlocutory with the White House saying that “The United States military met or exceeded all of its objectives, and now, our negotiators are working to make a deal that would end Iran’s nuclear capabilities for good.”
If things had gone according to plan, Ahmadinejad may have emerged as another Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela’s vice-president who connived in the overthrow of her boss President Maduro. But as it happened the stars were not aligned for the former Iranian president. Better luck next time?
