On 15 July 2024, former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad survived an assassination attempt. Ahmadinejad's car, supposedly repaired by Iranian security agents, experienced a loss of control over both the steering wheel and brakes shortly after its return, leading to a crash. Only one passenger was injured in the incident. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) is suspected to be behind the attempted assassination.[1] [2] [3]
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of Iran had sought to contend in the 2024 Iranian presidential election. The Guardian council of Iran disqualified him from running.[4] [5] He had previously criticized the supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei; accusing him of stealing $190 billion.[6] [7] Ahmadinejad who had gone against the West during his tenure in 2005-2013, in 2014 criticized the foreign policy of Ali Khamanei and said he was willing to negotiate with the US and improve economic relations.[8]
Several assassination attempts were attempted on the former president. In 2021 Ahmadinejad said: "The threat of my assassination is genuine. They would orchestrate my death, conduct the mourning rituals, and subsequently blame others. I have documented my information and secured it in several safe locations."
The Toyota car of the former president was taken by Iranian security agents for repairs. The Iranian security agents said they had fixed the air conditioner which was false.[9] Upon its return to the former president's team, the team set out. After having completed a quarter of the journey, the team completely lost control of both steering wheel and breaks. The car was forced into spins and hit barriers before crashing against a Peugeot car. Only one passenger was injured and was subsequently taken to the hospital. Ahmadinejad reported to Iranian authorities on what had occurred 5 days afterwards. It is suspected the Iranian revolutionary guard is behind the assassination attempt.