U.S. Officials Say Israel Nearly Targeted Iranian Negotiators During April Pakistan Trip

The New York Times reported July 2 that unnamed U.S. officials believed Israel came close to assassinating Iran's top negotiators Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. @zerohedge reported the assessment centered on an April 12 trip to Islamabad where the two men met U.S.

Vice President JD Vance. Iranian security officials worried Israel would use the meeting to derail talks, the officials said. Iran sought guarantees through Pakistani and Qatari intermediaries that Israel would not conduct covert operations against the delegation.

Pakistani fighter jets escorted the planes carrying more than 70 Iranians from the border to Islamabad and back. On the return flight, Iranian security forces notified Ghalibaf's plane of intelligence that Israel planned to attack and that two Israeli fighter jets had entered Iranian airspace from the western border near Iraq.

The plane made an emergency landing in Mashhad, Iran's closest airport to the Pakistani border.

The delegation then traveled eight hours by land to Tehran. Mahdi Mohammadi, a senior adviser to Ghalibaf who accompanied the trip, confirmed the account on social media. U.S. officials noted Israel had already killed much of Iran's senior leadership, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during active fighting, but assassinating the negotiators after talks began would have ended negotiations.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated July 1 that "POTUS has committed the U.S. to muzzling its pets in Tel Aviv. If they ignore their master, Iran will school them.