NYT Report: US Officials Believed Israel Targeted Iranian Negotiators in April Plane Incident Amid Vance Talks

A New York Times investigation published July 2, 2026, citing unnamed US officials, details allegations that Israel came close to assassinating key Iranian figures involved in backchannel diplomacy with the United States, including Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.[1]

The reported near-miss occurred on the return flight from Islamabad, where Ghalibaf's delegation of over 70 had met with Vice President JD Vance on April 12. Iranian security, concerned about an Israeli strike to derail talks, secured Pakistani fighter jet escorts and sought US guarantees via Pakistani and Qatari intermediaries. On the return leg, intelligence indicated two Israeli jets had entered Iranian airspace from the west near Iraq, prompting an emergency diversion to Mashhad. The group then traveled eight hours by land to Tehran.[2]

Senior Ghalibaf adviser Mahdi Mohammadi corroborated the account on social media. The episode unfolded against broader US efforts to restrain Israeli actions during fragile nuclear and regional negotiations, with Washington reportedly warning Tehran indirectly through regional channels to prevent escalation.[3]

Related reporting from outlets including the Times of Israel, Middle East Eye, and Hindustan Times echoes the NYT's sourcing from current and former officials, highlighting concerns that such an assassination could have triggered all-out conflict. The Wall Street Journal has separately noted Ghalibaf's temporary removal from Israeli targeting lists during active diplomacy.[4]

This layer of detail underscores the high-stakes intelligence maneuvering often absent from public coverage of Iran-Israel-US tensions.