US Officials Say Israel Planned to Kill Top Iranian Negotiators During Talks

What happened

US officials told The New Arab that Israel plotted to assassinate senior Iranian negotiators, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, during ongoing peace negotiations between Washington and Tehran. The US reportedly had to alert Iran via third-party countries to prevent these attacks, highlighting a rare rift in US and Israeli communication and strategy.

Outside Brief is treating this as a source-led account. Any disputed responsibility, casualty figure, battlefield claim or single-source assertion should be treated as unconfirmed/hearsay unless confirmed by another reliable source or a named official. Former and current American officials explained to The New York Times that such targeting has long been part of Israel’s approach, but increased sharply during the ceasefire talks starting in April 2026. US administration sources indicated that the Trump government learned about Iranian officials being on Israeli hit lists as early as March and pressured Israel to defer execution of these plans to safeguard diplomatic progress. Iranian officials responded by adopting heightened security measures and sought guarantees from the US through intermediaries in Pakistan and Qatar.

Analysts quoted by The New Arab characterized this episode as indicative of broader strategic fissures between Washington and Jerusalem. Idrees Ahmed, a senior lecturer at the University of Essex, noted that US administrations since Eisenhower have viewed Israel as a strategic liability but were restrained by domestic political considerations. According to Ahmed, Israel's actions risk undermining diplomacy that the US is seriously pursuing, contrasting Israel's preference for regime change strategies.

Known from the source

• US officials reported that Israel plotted to assassinate top Iranian negotiators Abbas Araghchi and Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf.
• Washington warned Iran about these assassination attempts through third-party countries during peace talks.
• The Trump administration learned about the targeting lists in March 2026 and requested Israel to hold back.
• Iranian officials increased security measures and sought US guarantees via Pakistan and Qatar intermediaries.
• The reported assassination attempts took place while US-Iran negotiations were ongoing from April 2026.

What remains unclear

Mouin Rabbani, a Dutch-Palestinian analyst, emphasized the fundamental difference in approach: while both the US and Iran seek a deal that maximizes their interests, Israel opposes diplomacy categorically, seeing any agreement as a defeat. Rabbani suggests the US's issuance of warnings to Iran over Israeli plots demonstrates Washington's ultimate control over its relationship with Israel despite public perceptions of Israeli autonomy in regional actions.

What remains unclear: Confirm whether the central claim is corroborated; until then treat it as unconfirmed/hearsay. Verification of the direct source and full details of the assassination plots attributed to Israel. Independent confirmation that the US warned Iran through intermediaries. Confirmation of the identities and exact roles of Iranian negotiators targeted.

Evidence note

Outside Brief has kept this brief source-led and attributed. Claims should be read alongside the original source linked below.

Original source: The New Arab. Open the source.