U.S. officials reportedly feared that potential Israeli strikes on two senior Iranian officials could undermine ceasefire talks, threaten efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and weaken negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The Trump administration reportedly warned Iran through regional intermediaries that Israel could attempt to assassinate two of Tehran’s senior political figures while Washington was pursuing a negotiated end to the Iran war, according to reports from The New York Times and The Washington Post.
The warnings centered on Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, two officials U.S. officials viewed as critical to maintaining a diplomatic channel with Tehran during ceasefire negotiations, the reports said.
According to the newspapers, senior administration officials became concerned that Israel could disrupt the peace process by targeting the Iranian officials at a moment when President Donald Trump was seeking to move the conflict toward a settlement. U.S. officials reportedly believed that killing Araghchi and Ghalibaf could eliminate the remaining Iranian interlocutors capable of negotiating with Washington.
“You kill those folks and you’re killing the pragmatists,” one U.S. official told the Post, describing fears inside the administration that such attacks could empower Iranian hard-liners rather than advance negotiations.
The reported warnings came as Washington and Jerusalem increasingly diverged over the direction of the conflict. The United States and Israel initially sought to damage Iran’s military capabilities after the war began in late February, but U.S. officials later shifted their focus toward a diplomatic resolution after Iran sustained significant military losses, according to the reports.
The Times reported that U.S. officials urged Israel to remove Araghchi and Ghalibaf from assassination target lists as the spring negotiations moved forward. American officials also reportedly used Pakistani and Qatari intermediaries to send reassurances to Tehran while talks continued.
The administration’s concerns included the possibility that the removal of senior Iranian negotiators could jeopardize efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and limit Iran’s nuclear program, according to the reports. U.S. officials viewed those objectives as central to the emerging diplomatic framework.
The White House continued to emphasize its support for negotiations. “The president wants the peace process to play out,” a U.S. official told the Post.
Another official cited productive meetings in Qatar involving special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner, according to the report.
Israeli officials were skeptical of the developing U.S.-Iran framework agreement, both newspapers reported. According to the reports, Israel viewed the proposal as insufficient because it did not meet Israeli objectives that included regime change, dismantling Iran’s proxy network and permanently eliminating Tehran’s missile capabilities.
The Israeli Embassy in Washington declined to comment on the reports.
The negotiations also involved heightened security concerns for Iranian officials. During one trip to Pakistan, Iranian officials reportedly feared possible Israeli strikes strongly enough that Pakistani fighter jets escorted the delegation’s aircraft.
Iranian intelligence later warned of a possible attack as the delegation was returning home, according to the reports. That warning prompted the aircraft to make an emergency landing, after which the delegation completed an hourslong overland trip back to Tehran.
The reported warnings and security measures illustrate the diplomatic and strategic tensions facing the Trump administration as it works to preserve a fragile peace process while continuing to manage relations with Israel, one of the United States’ closest allies in the Middle East.
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