U.S. officials expressed concern that Israel might attempt to assassinate Iran’s negotiators during recent ceasefire discussions. The information is based on insights from U.S. and Iranian officials.
During critical talks in April and May aimed at halting the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, the Trump administration worried about potential threats to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. Both officials were instrumental in negotiations with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
These negotiations led to an initial ceasefire agreement and a memorandum of understanding signed by the U.S. and Iran. However, ongoing talks face several unresolved issues. The U.S. warned Iran of the potential threat through intermediaries, as noted by one official.
The New York Times made the initial report on the Trump administration’s concerns. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office dismissed the report as ‘fake news’ through a social media post. Further inquiries were directed to the post, and the White House did not immediately comment.
Israel has previously targeted senior Iranian military figures and successfully infiltrated the regime’s security. In the early weeks of the conflict, U.S. airstrikes focused on military resources like Iran’s missile arsenal, while Israel targeted top figures within the regime.
In March, Trump mentioned the elimination of some Iranian officials perceived as more pragmatic. ‘Most of the people we had in mind are dead,’ he remarked about potential negotiators.
Throughout the conflict, the Trump administration and Netanyahu’s government have had disagreements on war strategies and negotiations. Trump criticized Israel for strikes on Lebanon targeting Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group, which threatened to disrupt peace talks. U.S. officials have even publicly criticized these actions, urging Netanyahu to halt them.
Negotiations remain unstable. According to intelligence assessments, U.S. agencies anticipate future Israeli attacks on Hezbollah, which could hinder the peace agreement. On Trump’s team, Vice President JD Vance has been vocal against Israeli hard-liners, accusing them of attacking Trump personally and stating in a New York Times interview, ‘You can’t just kill your way out of solving every single national security problem that you have.’