US Media: Israel Plotted to Assassinate Key Iranian Negotiators

Israel planned to assassinate key Iranian negotiators, according to US media reports. The New York Times and The Washington Post reported that American officials believe Israel intended to kill important Iranian negotiators amid talks aimed at ending hostilities between Washington and Tehran. The officials, speaking to both outlets on condition of anonymity, said Israel was targeting the assassination of Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the country’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is also the speaker of Iran’s parliament. “If you kill those people, you are killing the pragmatists,” a US official told The Washington Post. Officials who spoke to The New York Times said the US asked countries in the Middle East to warn Iran about the risk. Israel has a track record of targeting negotiating counterparts in an apparent effort to derail talks intended to end regional conflict. In October, the Israeli military conducted a strike in Doha, targeting a Hamas complex while officials from the group were studying a ceasefire proposal with Israel.