As American officials revealed that the U.S. had previously thwarted Israeli plans to assassinate Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and top negotiator, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, more details emerged.
This information highlighted the clear differences between Washington and Tel Aviv regarding the goals of the war against Iran. While Israel aimed to overthrow the Iranian regime,
the U.S. administration early on recognized that this objective would not be achieved during the war, opting instead to focus on crippling Iran's military capabilities and naval fleet, according to informed American officials speaking to The Washington Post.
Subsequently, in March and April, the U.S. sought to negotiate, cautioning Israel against assassinating "pragmatic" political leaders who might play a role in any forthcoming talks.
"Divergent War Goals"
In this context, Aaron David Miller, a former U.S. State Department official who advised both Republican and Democratic administrations, stated, "This reveals the divergent war goals between the United States and Israel and reflects Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's determination to undermine any negotiations the United States might benefit from."
Informed officials confirmed that more disagreements between the American and Israeli allies emerged following Tel Aviv's assassination of Iran's top national security official, Ali Larijani, in mid-March. A Western official noted, "The turning point wasn't the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, but Larijani's assassination, while Washington was seeking an Iranian official to engage with, and suddenly he was no longer there."
U.S. President Donald Trump publicly hinted in March that Israel's assassination campaign complicated efforts to negotiate with Iran. He told reporters at the time, "As you know, it's a little difficult... they've eliminated almost everyone... I don't want to kill them."
Iran officially announced on March 17 that Larijani, aged 67, had been killed along with his son, Morteza, an aide, and several bodyguards in Israeli airstrikes. The assassination reportedly targeted his daughter's home in Pardis, northeast of Tehran, at dawn on March 16 by planes from the United States and Israel.
This came a day after Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz announced Larijani's death in an Israeli attack, just days after he was seen participating in a "Quds Day" march on the streets of Tehran.