U.S. officials believed Israel may have been planning to assassinate Iran's top negotiators while Washington was engaged in sensitive talks with Tehran this spring aimed at reaching an interim peace deal, The New York Times reported, citing current and former American officials.

Axar.az informs that according to report, targeting senior Iranian leaders had been part of Israel's strategy since the beginning of the war. However, U.S. concerns intensified during sensitive ceasefire talks that began in April over the possible targeting of two senior Iranian officials — Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

Fearing that an Israeli assassination plot could derail the negotiations, the United States, according to several officials, even asked other countries in the region to warn Iran that Israel might target the two officials, the Times said.