Former President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad died in an attack attributed to Israel and the United States this Saturday (28), according to the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA). According to the agency, shelling hit Ahmadinejad’s residence in the Narmak neighborhood, northeast of Tehran.
The offensive killed the former president and members of his security team.
Ahmadinejad was under house arrest for “inciting violence” and criticizing the “mismanagement” of President Hassan Rouhani’s government. According to ILNA, the missiles exclusively targeted the property where he was.
Ahmadinejad ruled Iran between 2005 and 2013. He was the sixth president of the Islamic Republic. Previously, he served as governor of Ardabil province and mayor of Tehran. During his two terms, he publicly defended Iran’s nuclear program.
He adopted a confrontational speech with Western countries. He gained international prominence for statements against Israel and for denying the Holocaust, which increased the country’s diplomatic isolation. In 2005, during the conference “A World Without Zionism”, he quoted Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini when stating that Israel “must be erased from the map”. The speech provoked immediate international reactions.
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After leaving the Presidency, Ahmadinejad joined the Discernment Council. In recent years, it has lost political influence, but maintained a presence in the public debate.
In November 2009, Ahmadinejad was in Brazil for an official visit to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT). The passage sparked protests in Rio de Janeiro and Brasília, organized by entities from the Jewish community, religious groups and human rights organizations.
Critics questioned the honors of head of state bestowed on a leader who advocated the end of the State of Israel, denied the Holocaust and resisted international pressure to suspend Iran’s uranium enrichment and nuclear development program.
In 2016, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei advised Ahmadinejad not to run for new elections. The death occurs amid the military escalation between Iran, the United States and Israel, with air strikes, missile launches and increased diplomatic alert in the region.
