Officials Believed Israel Was Plotting to Kill Iranian Negotiators

U.S. officials believed Israel was considering an effort to kill Iran’s top negotiators while Washington was engaged in delicate talks this spring to reach an interim peace deal. According to current and former American officials, concerns surged during cease-fire negotiations beginning in April, particularly around Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of parliament. Officials said the United States asked other regional countries to warn Iran about the possibility of an Israeli targeting effort that could derail negotiations. While some officials acknowledged the men could have been legitimate targets during the war’s intense early phase, they believed an attempt to assassinate them after April would end talks and restart fighting. The war began Feb. 28 with an Israeli strike that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior figures, with later strikes also targeting leaders linked to negotiations, including Ali Larijani and Kamal Kharazi.