U.S. officials grew alarmed that Israel was preparing to assassinate two senior Iranian officials even as the Trump administration pushed for an interim peace deal with Tehran, according to The New York Times, citing current and former U.S. officials.
The targets included Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. Fearing the killings would destroy ongoing cease-fire negotiations that began in April, the United States reportedly asked regional allies to warn Iran of the potential Israeli strikes.
While U.S. officials acknowledged that senior Iranian figures were legitimate military targets early in the conflict, they believed assassinating key negotiators once talks were underway would torpedo diplomacy and reignite full-scale fighting.
The conflict erupted on February 28 when Israel launched a strike that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top regime figures, aided in part by U.S. intelligence. Israel focused aggressively on decapitating Iran’s leadership from the outset, a strategy that extended to eliminating officials the Trump administration viewed as more pragmatic negotiation partners.
Among those killed in Israeli airstrikes were Ali Larijani, Iran’s top national security official, and Kamal Kharazi, a former foreign minister — both of whom had been directly involved in talks with the United States.
