US Warned Against Israel Killing Iran Negotiators During Talks: Report
US President Donald Trump’s administration reportedly opposed Israeli plans to assassinate Iran’s two senior political leaders amid diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-Israel conflict. Washington Post.
Citing current and former US officials, the report said Washington fears that Israel plans to target Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf while negotiations continue.
According to the report, the United States took the unusual step of using regional intermediaries to warn Tehran that Israel might attempt to assassinate two senior officials. A US official was quoted as saying, “If you kill these people, you will also kill the pragmatists,” drawing attention to concerns that such attacks would ruin the diplomatic process.
The report said that after the Trump administration began exploring diplomatic options in March to end the conflict, senior US officials urged their Israeli counterparts to refrain from targeting Iran’s political leadership.
It was reported that US concerns increased after the start of ceasefire negotiations in April, and Washington feared that any attack on Araghchi or Ghalibaf would derail the talks and reignite the conflict.
According to the report, the elimination of senior Iranian figures was part of Israel’s broader wartime strategy. However, U.S. officials believed that targeting key Iranian negotiators once talks began would harm efforts to achieve a lasting ceasefire.
