A Pakistani intelligence source has told Reuters that Israel removed Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf from a planned assassination list after Islamabad asked Washington to intervene.
According to the Reuters report, Israeli forces had obtained “precise coordinates” of the two senior Iranian officials and were preparing to target them as part of a broader strategy against Iran’s leadership. The Pakistani source said Islamabad intervened through diplomatic channels, warning that such an action would collapse remaining communication lines with Tehran.
“The Israelis had their coordinates and they wanted to eliminate them,” the source was quoted as saying. “We told the U.S. that if they were eliminated, there would be no one left to talk to. Therefore, the U.S. asked the Israelis to withdraw from it.”
Neither Israel nor the United States has publicly commented on the claim. Iranian officials have also not responded to reports of the alleged plot.
The revelation underscores the increasing role of regional actors like Pakistan in mediating amid intensifying tensions between Israel, Iran, and their allies. Analysts say that preventing assassinations of high-ranking Iranian figures could help avert a dramatic escalation across the Middle East, where multiple fronts remain volatile following recent strikes and retaliations.
