A public dispute has erupted between Israel and US media outlet The New York Times over a report that claimed US officials warned Iran earlier this year about potential Israeli assassination plots targeting senior Iranian leaders involved in nuclear negotiations.
The row began after The New York Times published a report on Thursday citing multiple current and former US officials. According to the report, Washington warned Tehran in April that Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf could be targets of Israeli assassination attempts.
Rejecting the report, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office issued a sharp response on X, saying, “As usual, The New York Times’ latest story about Israel and the Iranian negotiators is fake news. A complete fabrication of reality.”
The NYT stood by its reporting and responded publicly to the Israeli government’s criticism.
“We stand by this fact-based reporting, which draws on interviews with current and former American officials. The Israeli Embassy in Washington declined to comment before publication”, the US media outlet posted in a reply to the Israeli PM’s office.
Report details alleged US warning
According to the NYT report, some US officials believed in April that Israel was considering assassinations of Araghchi and Ghalibaf in the weeks following the first ceasefire on April 8.
The two Iranian officials had been selected by Tehran to participate in nuclear talks with the United States. The report said Washington was concerned they could be viewed by Israel as “legitimate targets” amid a broader campaign of assassinations carried out inside Iran.
The concerns emerged amid a series of Israeli operations targeting senior Iranian figures, including the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, that would eventually fuel a months-long standoff involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
Claim of plot against Ghalibaf’s aircraft
One of the most striking claims in the report involved Iranian Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
According to NYT, US officials believed Israel was planning to target Ghalibaf as he returned from Islamabad to Tehran on April 12 after talks with US Vice President JD Vance.
The report said US authorities informed Tehran that two Israeli fighter jets had entered Iranian airspace through Iraq and were preparing to target Ghalibaf’s aircraft during its return journey.
After receiving the warning, Iranian authorities reportedly relayed the information to the plane. Ghalibaf then made an emergency landing in Mashhad, in northern Iran, rather than continuing on its usual route to Tehran, the report said.
The report suggested that differences between Washington and Israel over Iran may have surfaced much earlier than previously believed.
