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🇰🇷 South Korea /Conflict & Security

US warned Iran of Israeli assassination risk to negotiators: report

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • The US warned Iran that Israel might target its key negotiators during peace talks, according to the New York Times.
  • US officials believed Iran's foreign minister and parliamentary speaker could become targets, fearing assassination attempts could derail negotiations and reignite conflict.
  • The US conveyed these concerns to Iran through regional countries, highlighting a divergence in war aims between the US and Israel after a ceasefire.

The United States warned Iran that Israel might target its key negotiators during peace talks, according to a New York Times report citing current and former US officials.

The US authorities determined that Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf... could become targets for Israel.

— US officialsReporting on the US warning to Iran about potential Israeli targeting of negotiators.

US authorities determined that Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who served as Iran's primary negotiators for a ceasefire and peace talks since April, could become targets for Israel. While US officials acknowledged that both men could have been legitimate military targets during the intense early stages of the conflict, they expressed concern that Israel might eliminate them once negotiations began. Such an action, they feared, could halt the talks and escalate the war.

To mitigate this risk, the US reportedly requested regional countries to alert Iran to the potential danger. This concern aligns with previous reports, including one from the Wall Street Journal in March, which stated that Araghchi and Ghalibaf were on an Israeli target list but were temporarily removed as the US discussed opening negotiations with Iran. The New York Times highlighted that this situation underscores a significant divergence in war objectives between the US and Israel that emerged after the April ceasefire.

The US requested regional countries to alert Iran to the potential danger.

— US officialsExplaining the US actions to mitigate the risk to Iranian negotiators.

Iranian negotiators implemented stringent security measures during the talks due to the possibility of Israeli attacks. Ghalibaf himself had previously faced assassination threats, having been trapped under debris twice due to airstrikes, once during the "12-day war" in June and again during the current conflict. Tensions were particularly high in April when Ghalibaf met with US Vice President JD Vance in Islamabad, Pakistan. According to the New York Times, Iran requested, through Pakistani and Qatari mediators, that the US guarantee Israel would not conduct covert operations against the delegation. The aircraft carrying the Iranian delegation of over 70 people was escorted by Pakistani fighter jets during its flights between Iran and Pakistan. However, upon returning, the plane made an emergency landing in Mashhad, Iran, near the Pakistani border, after Iranian authorities received intelligence about a potential Israeli attack plan and reported sighting two Israeli fighter jets entering Iranian airspace.

Iran requested, through Pakistani and Qatari mediators, that the US guarantee Israel would not conduct covert operations against the delegation.

— Iranian delegationDescribing security measures and diplomatic requests during the talks.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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