U.S.officials were concerned that Israel might try to assassinate Iran’s negotiators during recent ceasefire talks and Tehran was warned about the possible threat, according to a U.S.
official and an Iranian official with knowledge of the matter.Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscriptionGet exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.During pivotal talks in April and May aimed at ending the U.S-Israeli war with Iran, the Trump administration worried that Israel had plans to possibly target Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the Iranian parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the sources said.Abbas Araghchi (L), Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (C), and Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi (R) arrive in Oman, on June 22.
Hames Malekpour / Middle East Images/AFP via GettyBoth Araghchi and Ghalibaf have been key figures in Iran’s negotiations with U.S.envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
The talks, which began in April, led to an initial ceasefire deal, followed by the memorandum of understanding signed by the U.S.and Iran last month.
Negotiations are continuing toward a deal intended to bring about a longer-lasting peace, but several key sticking points remain.The U.S.warned Iran about the possibility through intermediaries, one of the officials said.
The New York Times first reported on the Trump administration’s concerns.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office reacted to the New York Times report with an X post, saying: “As usual, The New York Times’ latest story about Israel and the Iranian negotiators is fake news.A complete fabrication of reality.”Contacted for further comment, his office referred NBC News to the post.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Israel has a long track record of targeting senior Iranian military officers and government officials and successfully penetrating the Iranian regime’s security.In the f...