Israel denies reports of assassination plot against Ghalibaf-Araghchi

According to Al Jazeera, Tel Aviv has dismissed as baseless reports of a plot to assassinate two top Iranian officials—Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi—at a crucial stage in the peace talks. According to Israel, the reports published in the New York Times and The Washington Post are “fake news” and “complete distortions of reality.”
Earlier, both media outlets quoted unnamed officials as saying that US officials believe Israel planned to assassinate Iranian negotiators during talks aimed at reducing tensions between the United States and Iran earlier this year.
Two US media outlets reported that targeting Iran’s top political and military leadership has been one of Israel’s main strategies since the start of the war. Several high-ranking figures have been blamed for the attack, from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to former top National Security Council official Ali Larijani.
US officials believed that Araghchi and Ghalibof could have been legitimate military targets for Israel at the height of the war. However, they believed that killing the two officials would seriously damage the prospects for peace.
The Wall Street Journal reported in March that Araghchi and Ghalibof were on Israel’s list of potential targets. However, after ceasefire talks resumed, their names were temporarily removed from that list at the request of the US. The New York Times also reported that the Trump administration was aware that at least Ghalibof was on Israel’s list of targets. Washington then urged Israel to refrain from such action.
According to reports, Ghalibaf narrowly escaped attack during a meeting of senior government officials in a secret bunker built under a mountain during the 12-day war of June 2025 and this year’s conflict. Three senior Iranian officials have claimed that he was rescued from the rubble in both cases.