Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Lebanese Army is continuing its investigations and will later announce any information that does not affect the confidentiality of the investigation
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: It has not yet been determined whether the detainees belong to ISIS or another organization
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Around 10 people of different nationalities, including Lebanese nationals, were detained
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Lebanese army arrested a number of people in the Matn area of Mount Lebanon with possession it has not disclosed
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: We have strong indications that there are martyrs, injuries, and trapped people in the Salah al-Din area
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: Citizens should avoid Salah al-Din Street because anyone who approaches it is at risk of being directly targeted
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: Reality is that there is a very limited retreat of the vehicles, with the occupation forces providing cover undeer fire up to Salah al-Din Street
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: Claims that the Israeli occupation has withdrawn from areas in the neighborhoods of al-Zaytoun, al-Tuffah, and al-Shujaiya are false
Hamas: The two delegations stressed that any negotiations must lead to the achievement of our people's goals and aspirations, foremost among which is ending the war and the complete withdrawal of enemy forces
Hamas: A delegation from the Hamas leadership, led by the head of the leadership council, Mohammad Darwish, met with an Islamic Jihad delegation, headed by its Secretary-General, Ziyad al-Nakhalah

Leaked docs expose US plot to control Iran opposition movement: Report

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Grayzone
  • 20 Sep 2024 17:49
  • 3 Shares
4 Min Read

Leaked documents obtained by The Grayzone reveal a covert effort by Carl Gershman and US neoconservatives to hijack Iran's opposition movements for toppling the government, promoting military intervention and sanctions.

Listen
  • x
  • Carl Gershman. (National Endowment of Democracy)
    Carl Gershman served from 1984-2021 as the founding president of the National Endowment for Democracy, a private, congressionally-funded, grant-making institution that supports non-governmental groups working to disrupt governments the world (National Endowment of Democracy)

Leaked documents obtained by The Grayzone reveal a covert effort by Carl Gershman, former leader of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), to consolidate control over Iran's opposition movement by promoting a radical, neoconservative agenda.

The leaks show that Gershman, known for leading global efforts to disrupt governments, sought to establish an "Iran Freedom Coalition" (IFC) composed of pro-Western Iranian activists and neoconservative operatives in the US.

The coalition was designed to impose exiled leadership over Iran's protest movement, particularly the Women, Life, Freedom (WLF) movement, and advance a strategy of sowing internal dissent aimed at toppling the Iranian government.

Gershman's initiative, which involves leveraging US State Department resources, focuses on consolidating the influence of hardline figures who advocate for US military intervention and severe sanctions on Iran.

These leaks expose how the Iranian opposition has increasingly become a tool for the "Bomb Iran" lobby in Washington.

The coalition includes well-known figures like William Kristol, a neoconservative with a long history of lobbying for US invasions in the Middle East, and Joshua Muravchik, a vocal supporter of war with Iran.

Gershman's strategy revolves around promoting these and other US-backed Iranian exiles as the international face of Iran's opposition.

Read more: Iran captures propagandist Israeli Mossad agent

The leaks also highlight how Gershman attempted to tap into a $55 million fund from the US State Department's Iran Democracy Fund, claiming that some of the funds should be diverted to hardline initiatives that reject Iran's current political processes.

He proposed that this money be managed by the NED to aid the so-called "resistance movement," positioning the IFC as a vehicle to organize various exiled Iranian activists, human rights groups, and pro-Western thinkers under the guise of supporting Iran's internal protests.

The WLF movement began after the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, which sparked widespread protests against Iran's mandatory hijab law. However, despite initial traction, the protests quickly fizzled out in Iran.

Related News

GOP Lawmakers claim ex-nuclear envoy Malley mishandled classified docs

Gilad Erdan: A provocative Israeli settler who thrives on attention

Gershman's leaked proposal reveals that US interventionists, including Gershman, attempted to hijack these protests by promoting exiled figures such as Reza Pahlavi, the son of the former Shah of Iran, and Masih Alinejad, a longtime recipient of US government funding who has called for military attacks on Iran.

These figures became the international face of the WLF movement, despite complaints from grassroots activists in Iran that foreign forces had co-opted their cause.

Read more: Four Mossad-linked spies, saboteurs executed in Iran

Gershman's proposed IFC was envisioned to serve as a means to sustain international pressure on Iran, leveraging boycotts, sanctions, and other economic tools to cripple Iran's economy and undermine the regime.

The coalition's composition of US-backed interventionists and neoconservative figures underscores how Iran's pro-democracy movement has been repurposed by Western interests seeking to influence Iran's internal affairs.

Further emails reveal that Gershman sought help from political allies such as Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart, attempting to use his influence to direct a portion of the Iran Democracy Fund toward Gershman's own regime-change projects.

Gershman aimed to form working groups within the IFC to support the supposed Iranian "uprising" by channeling resources to select Iranian exile groups and international activists who support US interventionist policies.

Gershman's efforts also highlight a power struggle between himself and younger, more progressive NED successors. After retiring from the NED in 2021, Gershman continued to push his own projects outside the formal structure of the organization.

His leaked emails reflect his frustration with the current State Department guidelines for Iran-related funding, which focused more on civil society engagement rather than direct regime change, prompting him to propose hardline alternatives.

The revelations point to a larger issue: the manipulation of Iranian opposition movements by US-backed figures and neoconservative elements in Washington, with little regard for the consequences on average Iranians.

Despite the WLF movement losing momentum inside Iran, the coalition proposed by Gershman and other interventionists seeks to sustain the movement's image abroad, using it to justify ongoing US pressure on Iran, including economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation.

Read more: West politically exploits death of Mahsa Amini through fake news

  • Mahsa Amini
  • Carl Gershman
  • New Endowment Democracy
  • Iran

Most Read

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Israeli soldiers are seen in Beit Hanoun ahead of an operation by the al-Qassam Brigades, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

'Israel' on blast as media exposes report discrepancies in Gaza ambush

  • Palestine
  • 8 Jul 2025
Yemeni air defenses repel substantial part of Israeli aggression

Yemeni air defenses confront Israeli aggression on Hodeidah

  • Politics
  • 7 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
The Freedom Flotilla ship Handala as it departs for Gaza, where it aims to break the maritime blockade at a port in Syracuse, Sicily in southern Italy on July 13, 2025. (AFP)
Palestine

Freedom Flotilla's Handala departs Sicily in bid to break Gaza siege

The container ship CMA CGM Laperouse, left, docks at the Georgia Ports Authority's Port of Savannah, Sept. 29, 2021, in Savannah, Ga (AP)
Politics

US shipbuilding woes deepen as tariffs, outdated policies backfire

Gaza war raises ethical questions for ex-Obama, Biden officials
Politics

Mercenary firm tied to Gaza war crimes hires Obama-Biden PR operatives

'Israel' targets children in Gaza collecting water
Palestine

'Israel' strikes Gaza kids fetching water, blames it on 'malfunction'

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS