US Feared Israel Might Assassinate Iranian Negotiators During April Talks

American officials revealed to The New York Times that during the April 2024 negotiations between the US and Iran, Washington feared Israel might target top Iranian negotiators, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. These concerns intensified as the ceasefire talks progressed, with US sources acknowledging that while Israel might have considered these officials legitimate targets during active conflict, any assassination attempt during negotiations could collapse the talks and reignite hostilities.

Due to these fears, the US reportedly asked regional countries to warn Iran against potential Israeli covert operations. In late March, the Wall Street Journal reported that Israel and the US temporarily removed Araghchi and Ghalibaf from their assassination target lists for several days to facilitate diplomatic engagement. Despite the ceasefire memorandum and ongoing talks, Israel remained skeptical about the ceasefire from the outset, highlighting a divergence between US and Israeli war aims.

Security concerns peaked when Ghalibaf was scheduled to meet US Deputy Vice President J.D. Vance in Islamabad. Iranian officials feared Israeli assassination attempts during his travel and sought guarantees from the US via Pakistani and Qatari intermediaries that Israel would not act against their negotiators. Pakistani fighter jets escorted the Iranian delegation’s flights to and from Islamabad, and on the return trip, the Iranian plane made an emergency landing in Mashhad after receiving intelligence of an Israeli threat, with reports of Israeli jets entering Iranian airspace near the Iraq border.

This unprecedented aerial escort involved 24 Pakistani fighter jets and an AWACS surveillance plane, underscoring the high tension and complexity surrounding the negotiations. The episode illustrates the fragile nature of the diplomatic process and the persistent mistrust among the parties, even as talks continue under a ceasefire framework.