Report says Israel considered targeting Iranian officials during Pakistan visit

WASHINGTON: Israel considered targeting senior Iranian officials during their visit to Pakistan for diplomatic talks earlier this year, but the plan was never carried out, according to a report published by The New York Times.

The newspaper reported that Israel had contemplated targeting Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf during their April visit to Islamabad.

According to the report, U.S. officials, concerned about the possibility of military action, alerted Iran through intermediaries in several regional countries about a potential Israeli operation.

The report said Iranian officials sought assurances through Pakistani and Qatari mediators that their delegation would not be targeted while traveling to and from Pakistan for the talks.

It also said Pakistan Air Force aircraft escorted the Iranian delegation’s plane during its flights between Iran and Pakistan.

According to the report, Iranian officials later received intelligence indicating that Israeli aircraft had entered Iranian airspace from Iraq as the delegation was returning home. The information was relayed to the aircraft, prompting it to divert and land at Mashhad International Airport.

The report said the incident was later confirmed by Mohammad Marandi, a senior adviser to Ghalibaf.

The claims have not been independently verified by The Associated Press, and there has been no immediate public comment from Israeli, Iranian or Pakistani authorities regarding the report.