Israel Denies Planning Assassinations of Iranian Negotiators Iraqji and Qalibaf

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied on Friday that Israel had planned to assassinate members of the Iranian negotiating delegation.

This denial followed a report by the American newspaper The New York Times, which stated that U.S. officials feared any Israeli attempt to assassinate Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Iraqji or Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf could disrupt peace negotiations.

In an official statement, Netanyahu’s office said, "As usual, the latest news from The New York Times about Israel and the Iranian negotiators is false news." It added, "Completely fabricated."

The New York Times reported that current and former U.S. officials believed Israel might have planned to assassinate senior Iranian negotiators during Washington’s sensitive talks with Tehran this spring aimed at reaching a temporary peace agreement.

The report noted, "Assassinating senior Iranian leaders has been part of Israel’s strategy since the start of the war, but American concerns about targeting specific Iranian officials—Abbas Iraqji, Iranian Foreign Minister, and Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Parliament Speaker—intensified during the sensitive ceasefire negotiations that began in April."

According to the newspaper, "Fearing that an Israeli assassination attempt would derail the negotiations, the United States, according to some officials, went as far as asking other regional countries to warn Iran about the possible targeting of these two officials by Israel."

The article further stated that American officials acknowledged that during the intense phase of the war, Iraqji and Qalibaf, as senior government officials, were legitimate targets for Israel, which was determined to overthrow the Iranian government. However, after serious negotiations commenced in April, American officials believed any assassination attempt on Iranian leaders would end the talks and reignite the conflict.

The war began on February 28 with an Israeli strike that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several senior officials, partly based on U.S. intelligence.

The newspaper added, "While U.S. strikes focused on Iranian naval and missile forces, Israel prioritized targeting leadership in the initial phase of the war, aiming to kill as many senior officials as possible."

The strategy reportedly included assassinating Iranian figures whom the Trump administration hoped would be useful in negotiations, such as Ali Larijani, Iran’s top national security official, and Kamal Kharazi, former foreign minister. Both were reportedly in contact with the United States when killed in Israeli airstrikes.

Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper highlighted that the announced U.S. concern over Iraqji and Qalibaf illustrates how quickly U.S. and Israeli war objectives diverged. It noted that at the campaign’s start, the allies were closely aligned, but the United States later moved toward a peace agreement, while Israel remained highly skeptical about ending the war without regime change in Tehran.

The New York Times reported that Israel showed only reluctant support for the initial two-week ceasefire in April, with many in Israel fearing Washington was rushing to end the fighting. Instead of collapsing, the Iranian regime hardened after the fighting began, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard strengthened its control over the country.

In June, the United States and Iran reached a framework agreement aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and setting terms for subsequent negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.

Israeli officials and commentators considered the agreement a failure because it did not achieve Israel’s declared war goals: forcing regime change in Iran, dismantling its proxy network, and inflicting severe damage on its missile program.

The Israeli embassy in Washington declined to comment to The New York Times.

Responding to questions about Israeli plans and the alleged warning to Iran, a U.S. official told the newspaper that talks between the American and Iranian delegations continue and that President Donald Trump wants the peace process to proceed.

The Wall Street Journal reported in March that Israel had placed Iraqji and Qalibaf on its target list but temporarily removed their names while the United States discussed starting negotiations with Iran.

According to a U.S. official and a Middle Eastern source cited by The New York Times, the Trump administration later learned that at least Qalibaf remained on an Israeli list and requested Israel refrain from targeting him.

The report also stated that Qalibaf survived previous Israeli assassination attempts; he was nearly killed during the twelve-day war in June 2025 and again in this year’s conflict when Israel bombed a secret meeting of senior Iranian officials in a shelter beneath a mountain. In both instances, Iranian officials said he was rescued from the rubble.

Separately, Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone on Friday.

Netanyahu’s office told Al-Ain News, "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just spoke with President Donald Trump and congratulated him on the 250th anniversary of the United States’ independence."

The statement added, "During the conversation, the prime minister said the United States is a guarantor of global freedom and that Israel highly values the close relationship between the two countries."

Netanyahu’s office further noted, "Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump agreed to meet in the United States in the near future."

Israel’s public broadcaster reported that Trump and Netanyahu are expected to meet at the White House, and that Lebanese President Michel Aoun is also expected to arrive in Washington.

The broadcaster said no date has been set yet for the meeting between Netanyahu and Trump, but the Trump administration desires a joint meeting between the two leaders, which has not yet occurred.

It also noted that Lebanese President Aoun opposed a phone call with Netanyahu at that time, an initiative previously proposed by the U.S. president.

The broadcaster added that the meeting between Netanyahu and Trump will take place amid ongoing negotiations with Iran and during the Israeli election period scheduled for October.

It pointed out that this upcoming meeting occurs amid reports of an unprecedented crisis in relations between a U.S. president and an Israeli prime minister.

Netanyahu described the relations as good in an interview with Israel’s Channel 14 and denied that the situation had escalated to shouting.