More than four months have passed since the devastating war in West Asia began. Despite the deaths of thousands of innocent people and diplomatic efforts by the international community, the conflict between the US and Iran continues with no sign of ending. Amid ongoing efforts to secure a long-term peace deal, startling report has emerged, claiming that the US had asked its allies in the Middle East to warn Iran about a possible Israeli plot to assassinate two of its top negotiators.

Did US Alert Iran?

According to The New York Times report, Washington secretly warned Iran that Israel could attempt to assassinate two of its top leaders, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Abbas Araghchi. The Americans feared that killing the two leaders during the sensitive ceasefire talks would destroy any chance of reaching an interim peace agreement and trigger renewed fighting in the Gulf region.

Following the ceasefire in April, Araghchi and Ghalibaf were leading talks with countries across the region to reach a framework agreement with the US. The discussions focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and creating a roadmap for future negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme.

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Plot Against Iranian Negotiators

In March, The Wall Street Journal reported that Araghchi and Ghalibaf were on an Israeli target list. However, Israel reportedly removed them from the list after the US requested restraint following the resumption of ceasefire talks. The NYT also reported that the Trump administration learned Ghalibaf was on an Israeli targeting list and asked Israel not to proceed.

According to the recent report, Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf narrowly escaped death twice. The first time was during the 12-day war in June 2025 and second during this year's conflict in February, when Israel allegedly targeted a secret meeting of senior Iranian officials inside a bunker beneath a mountain. At both times, Ghalibaf was rescued from under the rubble, according to three senior Iranian officials.

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Security Threat During Pakistan Visit

In April, after the Islamabad meeting, Mohsen Zanganeh, a lawmaker, told local media that Ghalibaf, Araghchi and other members of the negotiating team had "put their lives on the line knowing the grave security risks, and this is called a real sacrifice, not political manoeuvring." During the negotiations, Iran reportedly increased security measures to protect its senior officials.

Before Ghalibaf and Araghchi travelled to Pakistan for talks with US Vice President JD Vance, Iran sought security guarantees from Washington through Pakistani and Qatari intermediaries to ensure Israel would not target the delegation. It was also reported that Pakistani fighter jets escorted the Iranian aircraft carrying more than 70 delegates from the Iranian border to Islamabad and again on the return journey.

However, while flying back to Tehran, an Israeli security threat reportedly emerged. Mahdi Mohammadi, a senior adviser who was part of the delegation, also wrote on social media that the plane had made an emergency landing in Mashhad, the Iranian city closest to the Pakistani border. The delegation then travelled by road for nearly eight hours to reach Tehran.

Israeli Strategy During The War

The report further says that Israel had made targeting Iran's senior leadership a key part of its military strategy since the war began on February 28. Over the years, Israeli operations have reportedly killed more than 50 senior Iranian officials. While American strikes mainly targeted Iran's naval and missile capabilities, Israel focused on eliminating senior political and military leaders.

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