Report says Washington warned Tehran through regional intermediaries as diplomacy advanced
Current and former US officials believed Israel may have considered targeting senior Iranian negotiators during sensitive ceasefire negotiations earlier this year, according to a report published by The New York Times on Thursday.
Citing American officials, the report said Washington grew concerned that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf could face assassination attempts as Pakistan-mediated negotiations gained momentum in April.
According to the report, the Trump administration asked several regional countries to relay warnings to Tehran about the potential threat, fearing that any attack on Iran’s negotiating team would derail diplomacy and reignite the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran.
US officials reportedly learned that Ghalibaf had been placed on an Israeli target list and urged Israeli authorities not to proceed with any such action.
Iran sought security assurances during negotiations
The report also cited Iranian officials as saying Tehran requested security guarantees through Pakistani and Qatari mediators to ensure its negotiating delegation would not be targeted while participating in diplomatic meetings.
It further described an incident in April in which Ghalibaf’s return flight from Islamabad reportedly diverted to Mashhad after Iranian security officials detected what they believed were two Israeli fighter jets entering Iranian airspace.
Neither Israel nor Iranian authorities publicly confirmed the reported incident.
Diplomatic efforts continue despite regional tensions
A US official quoted in the report said negotiations between Washington and Tehran remain ongoing, adding that President Donald Trump wants the diplomatic process to continue.
In an interview with CNBC, Trump reiterated that the United States was not pursuing regime change in Iran and maintained that Washington’s primary objective was preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Meanwhile, Qatari and Pakistani mediators announced that the next round of indirect US-Iran negotiations is expected to resume at the earliest possible opportunity following the conclusion of funeral ceremonies for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The renewed diplomatic efforts aim to preserve the existing ceasefire framework and continue discussions on broader regional security issues despite persistent political and military tensions.
