Esra Tekin
04 July 2026•Update: 04 July 2026
US officials tried to warn Iran this spring that they were concerned Israel might assassinate Iranian negotiators during talks, the New York Post reported Friday, citing two US officials.
According to the officials, the US feared Israel could target Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker and a lead figure in talks with Washington, or Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who has also played a visible role in the negotiations.
The officials said the warnings were passed along through intermediaries.
As of Friday, there was no immediate sign that US intelligence had information about a specific assassination plot behind the warning.
However, Israel’s top defense official has publicly expressed support for killing senior Iranian leaders, and President Donald Trump has previously said such actions were making negotiations more difficult.
In March, Trump refused to identify who the US was negotiating with in Iran, saying he did not want them to be killed.
He added that the situation was difficult because, in his words, “They’ve wiped out everybody.”
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office denied a New York Times report on the matter, saying on US social media company X that the story was “fake news” and “a complete fabrication of reality.”
