Who Is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Trump's 1st Choice For Iran's New Leader

A regime change in Tehran was a key part of US President Donald Trump's agenda when American and Israeli forces launched a surprise attack on Iran, killing the then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. In the early days of the salvo, Trump repeatedly suggested that Iran's next leader should come "from within" the Islamic Republic. Now it turns out that the US leader had a very particular and very surprising someone in mind for the top role: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former Iranian president known for his hard-line, anti-Israel and anti-American views. The audacious plan was developed by the Israelis, according to a report by The New York Times. The report implied that Ahmadinejad, who was also injured in the February 28 strikes, had been consulted about the proposal, but he quickly went awry.