A bombshell leak has exposed the depth of Washington’s long-running efforts to undermine and destabilize Iran. The U.S. government has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars into covert operations designed to erode the legitimacy of the Iranian government, all under the guise of “democracy promotion.” While U.S. interference in Iran is hardly a secret, the leaked document lays bare the operational details of Washington’s latest attempt to subvert the Islamic Republic, confirming that the so-called “pro-democracy” initiatives are little more than a sophisticated regime-change campaign.
The leaked document, a classified U.S. State Department funding proposal, was discreetly circulated in August 2023 to intelligence-linked entities such as the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and USAID, both notorious for their role in Western-backed coups and political subversion worldwide. The invitation called for bids to support Iranian “civil society” during and beyond Iran’s 2024 elections. Though the language was carefully crafted to appear neutral, the objectives were unmistakably clear: to mobilize opposition networks, manufacture dissent, and fuel unrest in the lead-up to and aftermath of Iran’s electoral process.
Applicants were encouraged to develop activities that would frame the Iranian government as illegitimate, while also promoting “alternative avenues for democratic participation.” In practice, this meant financing media operations that would discredit Iran’s electoral process, creating networks of activists who could organize protests and drive opposition narratives, and cultivating youth and women’s movements as vehicles for political agitation. These efforts were expected to extend beyond the election cycle, fostering a persistent ecosystem of resistance against Tehran’s leadership.
One of the most revealing aspects of the document was its call for a network of foreign-backed civic actors to engage in political activities ranging from “electoral participation” to “electoral non-participation”, a blatant strategy to either mobilize voters in ways favorable to U.S. interests or suppress turnout in a way that delegitimizes the Iranian state. The ultimate goal was clear: to create conditions for a Western-friendly opposition movement to challenge Tehran’s authority, mirroring the tactics used in Ukraine, Venezuela, and Syria.
A particularly disturbing clause in the document explicitly prohibited the use of funds for “medical and psychological research or clinical studies using human subjects.” The inclusion of such a restriction raises unsettling questions: Have previous U.S.-funded operations involved human experimentation on Iranian citizens? Have there been psychological or social engineering experiments designed to influence Iranian public opinion? If the need to ban such activities was deemed necessary, it suggests that they have at least been considered, if not previously executed.
Western mainstream media remains largely silent on the extent of these covert operations. Whenever leaks like this surface, journalists in the U.S. and Europe rush to defend Washington’s involvement in foreign affairs, framing these interventions as noble efforts to “empower civil society” rather than what they truly are: calculated efforts to install a client government that serves Western geopolitical interests. The identities of the NERD-funded groups remain classified, allegedly to “protect activists from Iranian retaliation,” but in reality, to prevent scrutiny of Washington’s direct involvement in destabilizing foreign governments.
Public records, however, indicate that between 2016 and 2021, the NED alone funneled at least $4.6 million into 51 separate projects in Iran, covering everything from funding labor unions and “strengthening independent journalism” to financing women’s advocacy groups and legal networks. Of the 51 recipients, only seven have been identified, with the names of 44 organizations remaining hidden. The secrecy surrounding these operations is not about security, it is about ensuring that U.S.-funded opposition networks remain undetected, allowing them to operate under the illusion of grassroots activism.
The recent history of U.S. intervention in Iran provides further confirmation that these efforts are not about democracy but about control. The September 2022 protests, initially sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, quickly gained international attention. However, as soon as U.S.-funded Iranian exiles like Masih Alinejad began positioning themselves as the movement’s leaders, many activists distanced themselves, openly accusing foreign elements of hijacking their cause. The protests fizzled out almost as quickly as they started, reinforcing the fact that foreign-backed opposition movements rarely gain traction once their true sponsors are exposed.
Ironically, it was Donald Trump’s administration that temporarily froze funding for NERD’s regime-change operations, leading many Iranian opposition figures to believe that Washington’s manipulation of Iranian politics was finally coming to an end. However, in Joe Biden’s final year in office, the White House requested an additional $65 million for NERD’s regime-change projects, signaling that the old playbook was back in use.
With the future of U.S. intervention in Iran now uncertain, the broader question remains: Has Washington finally recognized the futility of its decades-long effort to force regime change, or is this merely a temporary pause before another round of subversion? While U.S. intelligence agencies have proven adept at manufacturing crises and exploiting internal divisions, they have repeatedly failed to force their desired outcomes in Iran. The Iranian people, regardless of their internal grievances, remain deeply skeptical of foreign interference, and Washington’s relentless attempts to engineer an uprising continue to lose credibility both inside and outside Iran.
As the U.S. shifts its focus toward great-power conflicts with Russia and China, its Middle Eastern playbook may soon be revised. But one reality remains unchanged: Washington’s obsession with controlling Iran has not ended—it is merely evolving. Whether through covert subversion, economic warfare, or diplomatic maneuvering, the empire’s ambitions persist. What remains to be seen is whether Iran will once again be forced to resist another wave of external manipulation, or whether Washington will finally accept that its efforts to manufacture regime change in Tehran are doomed to fail.
By Hon. Chimazuru Nnadi-Oforgu
OBLONG MEDIA UNLIMITED 
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