The concerns centered on a specific period in April when Ghalibaf traveled to Pakistan to meet with US Vice President JD Vance. While Pakistani fighter jets provided an escort for the delegation, intelligence reports indicated that Israeli aircraft had breached Iranian airspace. The threat forced Ghalibaf’s plane into an emergency landing in Mashhad, requiring the officials to complete their return to Tehran by land. Advisor Mahdi Mohammadi later confirmed the harrowing detour.
In section Newsroom
US Officials Feared Israeli Plots Against Iranian Peace Negotiators
American officials grew increasingly alarmed that Israel intended to assassinate Iran's lead negotiators during delicate ceasefire talks this spring. Washington went as far as coordinating warnings through regional partners, fearing that Israeli strikes against foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf would derail diplomatic progress entirely.
Deepening friction between Washington and Tel Aviv followed the March assassination of Iranian security official Ali Larijani. President Trump expressed frustration with the campaign, noting that the persistent elimination of key figures left him with few viable partners for negotiation. Trita Parsi of the Quincy Institute suggested that the Israeli government's behavior reflects a profound fear of peace, potentially driven by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s domestic political vulnerabilities. With reelection prospects dimming and looming corruption charges, analysts argue that Netanyahu views the continuation of conflict as a personal and political necessity.
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