US Feared Israel Planned To Target Iran's Ceasefire Negotiators: Report

United States officials reportedly feared that Israel was considering targeting two of Iran's senior negotiators during sensitive ceasefire discussions earlier this year, raising concerns that such a move could derail diplomatic efforts and reignite the conflict. According to a report by The New York Times, cited by current and former US officials, Washington was sufficiently concerned to ask regional countries to warn Tehran about the potential threat. The report says the concerns centred on Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who were leading negotiations with the United States.

The report states that while Israel had made the elimination of senior Iranian leaders a key objective during the early stages of the conflict, US officials believed any strike against top negotiators during ongoing talks could jeopardise efforts to secure a ceasefire. American officials reportedly viewed the negotiations as a critical opportunity to reduce tensions and feared that attacks on key Iranian representatives could trigger a renewed escalation in hostilities.

According to the report, the conflict began on February 28 with an Israeli strike that allegedly killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several other senior officials, an operation said to have relied partly on American intelligence. It further claims that Israeli operations later targeted other influential Iranian figures, including Ali Larijani and Kamal Kharazi, both of whom were also involved in diplomatic contacts with Washington during the conflict.

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The report also cites an earlier article by The Wall Street Journal, which claimed that Araghchi and Ghalibaf had been placed on an Israeli target list before negotiations commenced. According to that report, Israel paused plans involving the two officials once talks began, with a US official and a Middle East official reportedly indicating that Israel had been urged to refrain from targeting Ghalibaf during that period. These claims have not been independently verified.

Further reports cited in the article allege that Ghalibaf narrowly escaped assassination attempts on more than one occasion. One reported incident occurred during a strike on a secret meeting of senior Iranian officials, while another allegedly involved security concerns surrounding an aircraft carrying Ghalibaf after diplomatic talks in Islamabad. Iranian security personnel reportedly diverted the flight to Mashhad after detecting what they believed to be a potential threat.

Despite the reported security concerns, both Araghchi and Ghalibaf have continued participating in diplomatic engagements, including meetings in Qatar and Switzerland. The report notes that Israel's embassy in Washington declined to comment on the allegations when approached. The developments underscore the fragile nature of the diplomatic process and the significant risks surrounding efforts to maintain dialogue amid continuing regional tensions.

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