US Warned Iran That Israel Might Target Its Negotiators

Istanbul (ANTARA) - American officials attempted to warn Iran this spring about concerns that Israel might kill Iranian negotiators, The New York Post reported on Friday, citing two US officials. According to the officials, the US was worried that Israel could target Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a key figure in the talks, or Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who also plays a central role in the negotiations. The officials conveyed the warning through intermediaries. As of Friday, there were no immediate signs that US intelligence possessed information about a specific assassination plot underlying the warning. However, Israel’s most senior defence officials have publicly expressed support for the killing of senior Iranian leaders. In March, former President Trump declined to identify the Iranian officials engaging in talks with the US, stating he did not want them to become targets for assassination, adding that the situation was complicated. Meanwhile, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office denied The New York Times report, calling it ‘fake news’ and a fabrication completely inconsistent with reality in a statement on X.