The New York Times reports that the United States suspected during April's nuclear talks that Israel was preparing to assassinate Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Washington subsequently asked several countries to warn Tehran of the threat, the report says.
A New York Times report, cited by Israeli media at 22:34 Thursday, adds new details to the already published account of U.S. intelligence suspicions that Israel was planning to assassinate Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during April's nuclear talks. The report specifies that Ghalibaf was scheduled to fly to Islamabad to meet U.S. Vice President JD Vance, and that Iranian security officials feared Israel would use the opportunity to target the two negotiators, derailing the talks.
The desk initially reported the NYT story at 22:09 Jerusalem, in three consecutive bulletins that first revealed the U.S. intelligence suspicion, the involvement of Pakistani fighter jets to escort the Iranian delegation's plane, and the subsequent emergency landing on the return flight to Tehran. The reports, based on U.S. and Iranian officials, have been consistent in identifying Ghalibaf and Araghchi as the intended targets, and the current update adds the context of the planned Vance-Ghalibaf meeting.
Both Iranian officials have been central to the nuclear negotiations. As The Zioneer has reported, Ghalibaf, who also heads the negotiating team, has been active in diplomatic contacts, including phone talks with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on June 28, and has publicly dismissed U.S. threats. Foreign Minister Araghchi has faced domestic criticism from hardline factions over the deal with the U.S., as The Zioneer reported on June 14.
The NYT report does not specify which countries Washington enlisted to warn Tehran, nor does it provide evidence of an actual Israeli operational plan. Israel has not commented on the report. The Pentagon and the State Department have not confirmed the intelligence assessment.
6 developments
- ConfirmedUS intensifies last-minute diplomatic push to avert Iranian retaliation against Israel
- DevelopingUS conveys to Iran: we cannot restrain Bibi if you attack Israel
- DevelopingAraghchi warns Israel is leading opposition, disclosure could derail US-Iran deal
- StrongWSJ: Netanyahu tried to block emerging US-Iran deal, warned Trump not to trust Tehran
Source and signal
- Internal intake