The US officials feared any Israeli attempt to kill Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi or Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf would derail peace talks.
United States officials feared Israel may be hatching a plan to kill two of Iran’s senior negotiators during indirect peace talks between Washington and Tehran earlier this year and sought help from regional countries to warn Iran about the possibility, according to a report by The New York Times.
The report, citing current and former American officials, said US concerns centred on Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf during ceasefire negotiations that began in April.
US Fears Assassination Attempt Would Derail Negotiations
According to the report, US officials believed that any assassination attempt on the two leaders during the talks could derail negotiations and trigger renewed fighting.
It said Washington asked other countries in the region to alert Iran to the possibility that Israel could target the two officials.
The report said that while US officials considered Araghchi and Ghalibaf legitimate military targets during the active phase of the conflict, they believed any attack after negotiations began would jeopardise diplomatic efforts.
Araghchi and Ghalibaf have been leading Iran’s engagement with regional countries and the United States on ceasefire negotiations and efforts to reach a broader peace agreement.
US Learns Ghalibaf On Israel’s Target List
According to the report, the Trump administration later learned that Ghalibaf was on an Israeli target list and asked Israel not to carry out any strike against him.
In March, the Wall Street Journal had reported that both Araghchi and Ghalibaf were on an Israeli target list, but were temporarily removed as the United States prepared to begin negotiations with Iran.
Ghalibaf Was Israel’s Target During Islamabad Talks?
According to the New York Times, Iranian officials sought assurances from the United States through Pakistani and Qatari intermediaries before Ghalibaf’s planned visit to Islamabad in April for talks with US Vice President JD Vance. According to the report, Tehran was concerned Israel could use the visit to target either Ghalibaf or Araghchi.
The report said Pakistani fighter jets escorted the Iranian delegation’s aircraft between the Iranian border and Islamabad.
On the return journey, Iranian security officials informed the delegation that intelligence suggested Israel planned to attack the aircraft and that two Israeli fighter jets had entered Iranian airspace from the western border near Iraq, according to the report.
Mahdi Mohammadi, a senior adviser to Ghalibaf who was part of the delegation, confirmed the account on social media, the report said. The aircraft made an emergency landing in Mashhad, after which the delegation travelled by road to Tehran.
