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The US had alerted Iran about two Israeli fighter jets crossing into Iranian airspace through Iraq, the report claimed.
File photo of Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. (Image: Reuters)
As Iran held high-level negotiations with the United States in April this year, Israeli fighter jets reportedly crossed into Iranian airspace, raising concerns in Washington that Israel intended to kill senior Iranian officials taking part in the diplomatic process, according to a report in The New York Times.
The report said American officials became alarmed that Israel could target Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf as they returned from negotiations in Pakistan’s Islamabad in April. According to the newspaper, the US believed such an attack would collapse the diplomatic effort and trigger renewed hostilities.
US Feared Israeli Strike Would Derail Iran Talks
“Any attempt to kill the Iranian leaders would end the talks and reignite the fighting,” American officials told the newspaper.
US officials reportedly urged regional governments to warn Tehran about the potential threat while pressing Israel not to strike the Iranian officials. The report said Ghalibaf, who had travelled to Islamabad for talks that coincided with a visit by US Vice President JD Vance, was specifically believed to be on Israel’s target list.
Ghalibaf’s Plane Reportedly Diverted After US Alert
According to the report, Washington alerted Iran that two Israeli fighter jets had crossed into Iranian airspace through Iraq and were positioning to intercept Ghalibaf’s aircraft on its return journey. Iranian authorities then instructed the plane to divert, leading to an emergency landing in Mashhad instead of continuing to Tehran.
The report also said Iran sought guarantees through Pakistani and Qatari intermediaries that Israel would not attack members of its negotiating team. Security concerns were so high that Pakistani fighter jets reportedly escorted the Iranian delegation’s aircraft during its flights to and from Islamabad.
Mahdi Mohammadi, a senior advisor to Ghalibaf who accompanied the delegation, confirmed the account on social media.
“Today Mr Ghalibaf and Mr Araghchi, and other members of the negotiating team, have put their lives on the line knowing the grave security risks and this is called a real sacrifice, not political manoeuvring,” Iranian lawmaker Mohsen Zanganeh told local media in April.
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Manisha Roy is a Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com’s general desk. She comes with an experience of over 5 years in media industry. She covers politics and other hard news. She can be contacted at Manish…Read More
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