US warned Iran of Israeli plot to kill negotiators during peace talks, officials say
Washington feared Israel would target Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, derailing the fragile ceasefire negotiations that began in April.
A war that began with decapitation strikes
The United States and Israel launched a joint military campaign against Iran on 28 February 2026. Israel's opening strike killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several other senior figures. While American forces concentrated on degrading Iran's navy and missile capabilities, Israel prioritised the elimination of the regime's political and military leadership. Among those killed in the early phase were Ali Larijani, Iran's top national security official, and former foreign minister Kamal Kharazi, both of whom were involved in backchannel contacts with Washington.
Washington's fears grow as talks begin
By the spring, the Trump administration had shifted toward diplomacy. Ceasefire negotiations started in April, with Araghchi and Ghalibaf leading the Iranian side. US officials came to believe that Israel was actively plotting to assassinate the two men.
The White House, fearing that any such attack would collapse the talks and reignite full-scale fighting, asked regional governments to discreetly warn Tehran. The Wall Street Journal reported in March that both names had appeared on an Israeli target list and were temporarily removed at Washington's request.If you kill these people, you kill the pragmatists.
Ghalibaf's narrow escapes
According to three senior Iranian officials cited by the New York Times, Ghalibaf survived two close calls. The first occurred during the twelve-day war in June 2025; the second came this year when Israel struck a secret meeting of high-ranking officials inside a mountain bunker. On both occasions he was pulled alive from the rubble. Other senior figures, including Khamenei and Larijani, did not survive.
The Islamabad trip and the mid-air alert
The most acute crisis unfolded when Ghalibaf travelled to Islamabad in April for the first round of talks with US Vice President JD Vance. Iran asked Washington to guarantee that Israel would not attempt to kill him. Pakistani fighter jets escorted the Iranian aircraft from the border to the capital. On the return flight, Iranian security services warned the crew that intelligence indicated Israel was preparing an attack and that two Israeli fighters had entered Iranian airspace from the western border with Iraq. The plane made an emergency landing in Mashhad, and Ghalibaf completed the journey to Tehran by road, an eight-hour drive.
A widening rift between allies
The episode exposes the growing divergence between US and Israeli war aims.
While Israel continues to pursue regime change, Washington now treats Araghchi and Ghalibaf as indispensable interlocutors. The White House, asked about the reports, neither confirmed nor denied them, saying only that the president wants the peace process to play out.One would recognise the fundamental determination of the Israeli prime minister to undermine any negotiations the US might conclude.
- US and Israel launch war on Iran; Israeli strike kills Supreme Leader Khamenei and other senior figures.
- Wall Street Journal reports Araghchi and Ghalibaf are on an Israeli target list; US asks Israel to halt the assassination campaign.
- Ceasefire negotiations begin. US warns Iran through intermediaries about possible Israeli attacks on negotiators.
- Ghalibaf meets VP Vance in Islamabad; Pakistani jets escort his plane. On return, Israeli fighters enter Iranian airspace, forcing an emergency landing in Mashhad.
- Iran begins public lying-in-state of Khamenei; US media reveal details of the assassination plot and Washington's warnings.
Aftermath and public mourning
Iran today began the public lying-in-state of Ayatollah Khamenei in a vast prayer hall in Tehran. Clerics, government officials, foreign dignitaries and mourners paid their respects. The leadership plans week-long mass processions to demonstrate loyalty to the Islamic Republic after four months of war. The revelations about the assassination plot, leaked by American officials, may further strain the US-Israeli relationship even as indirect talks between Washington and Tehran continue, with the next round already agreed after consultations in Qatar.
