03.07.2026 06:50
It has been suggested that the U.S. administration warned Tehran through indirect channels, fearing that Israel's potential assassination plans against high-ranking Iranian officials could disrupt the diplomatic process. According to the claim, Washington sent messages to both Iran and Israel to avoid harming the negotiations, while differences in opinion emerged between the two countries regarding their objectives concerning Iran.
According to a report by the US-based Washington Post, citing current and former senior US officials, the Trump administration feared that potential Israeli assassination plots against senior Iranian figures could damage ongoing diplomatic initiatives with Iran.
The report claimed that the US administration specifically opposed targeting Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and therefore sent a warning message to Tehran via intermediaries in the spring.
"YOU WOULD ALSO ELIMINATE THE PRAGMATISTS"
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said targeting Iranian negotiators would weaken the chances of a diplomatic solution, stating, "If you kill these people, you also eliminate the pragmatists."
According to the report, the Trump administration has been conveying to Israeli officials since March that assassinations targeting Iran's political leadership should not continue.
ALLEGED DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN US AND ISRAEL
According to assessments in the report, Washington's need to directly warn Tehran highlighted disagreements between the US and Israel.
Former US State Department official Aaron David Miller argued that this shows the two countries' war goals are diverging, while suggesting that the Israeli Prime Minister appears determined to disrupt potential diplomatic initiatives. A White House official told the newspaper, "The President wants the peace process to work."
ALLEGED ABANDONMENT OF REGIME CHANGE GOAL
The Washington Post report claimed that the US and Israel initially shared a regime change goal at the start of their military operations against Iran, but their objectives diverged after US officials assessed that the political and military structure in Tehran would maintain power.
The report also claimed that Israel's killing of Iran's senior national security official Ali Larijani in mid-March further deepened disagreements between Washington and Tel Aviv.