NYT: Washington warned Tehran Israel was plotting to kill Araghchi, Ghalibaf

The Trump administration feared Israel could assassinate Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who were involved in ceasefire negotiations in April, The New York Times has reported.

The newspaper said that Washington warned Tehran through governments in the region about the possible assassination attempt and urged Israel not to proceed when it learnt that at least Ghalibaf had been placed on the target list.

The report described one incident in April in which Ghalibaf's flight back from Islamabad was diverted after Iranian security officials detected what they believed were Israeli fighter jets entering Iranian airspace.

US officials believed such an attack would have derailed the diplomacy and risked reigniting the conflict between Iran, Israel and the United States.

The newspaper reported that Iranian officials sought assurances from Washington, through Pakistani and Qatari intermediaries, that Israel would not attack negotiators during diplomatic engagements.