These documents, obtained by The Grayzone, expose how Gershman sought to channel U.S. government resources into a regime change initiative targeting Iran. Central to this plot was the creation of an "Iran Freedom Coalition," aimed at uniting pro-Western Iranian activists with U.S. neoconservative figures advocating for military intervention against the Islamic Republic.
Gershman, who had helmed NED for nearly four decades, oversaw its long history of meddling in foreign nations' affairs. NED, initially conceived during the Reagan administration as an extension of Central Intelligence Agency operations, has been involved in regime change efforts worldwide, from Nicaragua to Venezuela to Hong Kong. (Related: Intelligence officials brief Trump about "real and specific" assassination threats they say are linked to Iran, but many Trump supporters are skeptical of origins.)
The leaked documents illustrate how, even in retirement, Gershman continued to use his vast connections within the U.S. foreign policy establishment to drive his agenda in Iran. His Iran Freedom Coalition, which he described in private communications, was designed to impose an exiled, U.S.-backed leadership over the grassroots Iranian protest movements, particularly the Women, Life, Freedom movement.
Protests in Iran erupted in September 2022 after the death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who died after being detained by Iran's morality police for allegedly violating the country's mandatory hijab laws. These protests, initially driven by organic public outrage, were soon co-opted by external forces, including U.S.-backed exiles.
Figures like Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late Shah of Iran, and Masih Alinejad, a vocal anti-regime activist, became the public faces of the movement in the West. The protests, while briefly intense, ultimately fizzled out within Iran after a few weeks. However, Western governments, NGOs and media outlets continued to rally behind the movement, casting it as a vehicle for regime change.
Gershman sought to divert U.S. government fund toward regime change efforts in Iran
According to the leaks, Gershman viewed the movement as a tool for his broader objective of overthrowing the Iranian government. In an email to Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, a powerful Cuban-American Republican who chairs the House Subcommittee on the Department of State, Gershman outlined his vision for the Iran Freedom Coalition.
He sought to divert funds from the U.S. State Department's Iran Democracy Fund, which allocated $55 million to support civil society engagement in Iran, toward more aggressive regime change efforts. In his email, Gershman expressed concern that the State Department's fund was focused on electoral processes, which he argued were irrelevant to movements like Women, Life, Freedom, which "doesn't recognize the legitimacy of the regime."
Gershman proposed that Díaz-Balart use his influence to channel about 10 percent of the fund to NED, allowing the organization to expand its Iran-focused operations. He also suggested creating "solidarity working groups" composed of women's rights activists, trade unionists and civil society leaders – groups that could give the impression of grassroots Iranian support for the regime change effort.
The leaks further reveal that Gershman handpicked key figures to lead the Iran Freedom Coalition. Among them was William Kristol, a prominent neoconservative strategist who has long lobbied for a U.S. military intervention in Iran. Kristol is notorious for promoting U.S. invasions in the Middle East, which he has misleadingly referred to as "liberations."
Also involved was Joshua Muravchik, another neoconservative who has repeatedly argued that war with Iran is the only viable solution. Muravchik's hawkish positions align with Gershman's overarching goal of pushing the U.S. into direct conflict with Iran.
The coalition's Iranian members are mostly individuals with close ties to Western governments and think tanks, such as the Tony Blair Institute, which has a history of supporting interventionist policies. Despite being presented in Western media as the leaders of Iran's "freedom struggle," their association with Gershman's coalition reveals that many of these individuals are simply figureheads for U.S. regime change operations.
By promoting these exiles as the legitimate voice of the Iranian people, Gershman and his allies aimed to impose a new leadership on the Iranian opposition, one that aligns with U.S. interests rather than with the aspirations of ordinary Iranians.
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