US warned Iran of alleged Israeli assassination plot against Araghchi, Ghalibaf: Report

The relationship between the United States and Israel appeared to have come under strain months before reports emerged of tense exchanges between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a report published by The New York Times on Thursday.

Citing multiple US officials, the report claimed that Washington warned Tehran in April that Israeli authorities were allegedly planning to assassinate Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

According to the report, some US officials believed Israel intended to target the two senior Iranian leaders in the weeks following the first ceasefire announced on April 8.

At the time, Araghchi and Ghalibaf were among Iran’s key representatives in nuclear negotiations with the United States, and US officials reportedly feared they could become Israeli targets as Israel intensified operations against senior Iranian figures.

Alleged assassination plans

According to The New York Times, US intelligence indicated that Israel planned to target Ghalibaf’s aircraft as he returned to Tehran from Islamabad on April 12 after meetings linked to diplomatic efforts involving US Vice President JD Vance.

The report said US officials alerted Iranian authorities after detecting two Israeli fighter jets entering Iranian airspace through Iraq, allegedly preparing to intercept Ghalibaf’s aircraft.

Iranian authorities then contacted the aircraft, prompting Ghalibaf to divert and make an emergency landing in Mashhad instead of continuing to Tehran, the report said.

The newspaper cited US officials as saying the episode reflected growing differences between Washington and Tel Aviv over how to deal with Iran, even as both countries publicly maintained close coordination.

Signs of widening US-Israel differences

The report suggests disagreements over Iran had surfaced as early as April, preceding the divergence that has since become more apparent over US-Iran diplomacy.

Washington has continued pursuing negotiations with Tehran, culminating in a memorandum of understanding (MoU), despite public criticism from Netanyahu, who has repeatedly questioned the diplomatic approach.

The differing positions have also been evident in discussions over regional conflicts, including the situation in southern Lebanon.

Trump-Netanyahu tensions

Reports of friction between Trump and Netanyahu intensified in recent weeks following disagreements over Israel’s military operations in Lebanon.

Trump publicly urged Netanyahu to exercise greater restraint, warning that “too many people have been killed,” even as Israeli military operations continued.

According to media reports citing unnamed sources, private conversations between the two leaders have been even more strained, with one leaked account claiming Trump described Netanyahu as “f***** crazy” during a phone call.

Neither the White House nor the Israeli government has publicly confirmed the claims contained in The New York Times report.