Current and former American officials have told an international publication that Israel intended to assassinate top Iranian negotiators, including Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister (FM) Abbas Araghchi, during high-level ceasefire discussions.
The report disclosed that Washington harboured severe concerns regarding the safety of the Iranian diplomats when negotiations intensified in April.
Believing that an assassination would dismantle negotiations and reignite active conflict, the Trump administration took defensive diplomatic action. US officials requested regional partner nations to directly warn Tehran about the potential Israeli threat to the two prominent figures.
Intelligence reports indicated that Qalibaf had been placed on an Israeli assassination list, prompting Washington to urgently advise Israel against proceeding with any operation.
Concurrently, Iranian officials utilised Pakistani and Qatari intermediaries to seek formal American guarantees ensuring the safety of their diplomatic team during international meetings.
A specific security breach occurred in April when Qalibaf’s return flight from Islamabad was forced to divert to Mashhad. The emergency diversion was ordered after Iranian security forces detected two Israeli fighter jets entering Iranian airspace.
While representatives at the Israeli Embassy in Washington declined to comment on the allegations, diplomatic channels remain open. A US official confirmed that discussions between American and Iranian delegations are going on, noting that President Donald Trump wishes for the peace process to continue.
