The New York Times reported that the United States was concerned Israel was planning to assassinate Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf amid sensitive Washington‑Tehran negotiations. American officials asked regional countries to discreetly warn Iran of the threat and urged Israel to refrain from any attacks during the talks. According to the newspaper, Israel had initially listed the two officials as targets, but they were temporarily removed from the list after the negotiations began in April, as the US feared such an assassination could derail the diplomatic process and reignite hostilities.