‘Fake news’: Israeli PMO rejects report on alleged threat to Iranian negotiators

TEL AVIV: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Office has dismissed a news report alleging that US officials feared that Israel might have targeted senior Iranian negotiators during Islamabad talks earlier this year.

In a post on X on Friday, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said, “As usual, The New York Times’ latest story about Israel and the Iranian negotiators is fake news. A complete fabrication of reality.”

The Prime Minister’s Office:

As usual, The New York Times’ latest story about Israel and the Iranian negotiators is fake news.

A complete fabrication of reality.

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) July 3, 2026

According to the NYT news report as cited by the Times of Israel, US officials had allegedly conveyed indirect warnings to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf during negotiations (Islamabad Talks) earlier this year that Israel might attempt to assassinate them.

The US media report, citing current and former US officials, further alleged that some US officials believed Israel may have been planning to target the two senior Iranian negotiators in the weeks following the April 8 ceasefire that halted fighting in the US-Israel conflict with Iran.

It also claimed that, due to those concerns, US officials asked counterparts in other countries across the region to warn Tehran that Israel might seek to target Araghchi and Ghalibaf. In response, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office categorically rejected the report on Friday.

NYT: Trump Blocked Netanyahu’s Plan To ‘Assassinate’ Iranian Negotiators

According to The New York Times, the Israeli PM wanted to target senior Tehran figures, including Abbas Araghchi and Mohammad Bagheri Ghalibaf, before ceasefire talks.

The report says Donald Trump… pic.twitter.com/14TO2ZHuBe

— RT_India (@RT_India_news) July 3, 2026

Al Jazeera noted that Israel has previously been accused of targeting negotiating counterparts in regional conflicts. It cited an incident in September 2025 in which Israel bombed Hamas’s negotiating team in Doha, Qatar, where members had gathered to discuss a ceasefire proposal that had reportedly been sent by the Israeli side.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump agreed to meet in the United States in the near future during a phone conversation on Friday, according to a report by the Times of Israel, citing a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

According to the PMO statement, Netanyahu congratulated Trump on the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States and said, “The US is what ensures the freedom of the world, and Israel greatly appreciates the tight bond between the nations.”

The statement added that “Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump agreed to meet soon in the US”. The Prime Minister’s Office did not provide a specific date or venue for the proposed meeting, according to the Times of Israel.

The developments come as Qatar and Pakistan, on July 1, concluded separate meetings with US and Iranian negotiators in Doha, with “positive progress” reported on issues related to the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The Qatar foreign spokesperson said, “The parties agreed to continue discussions over the coming period, with the next meeting to be scheduled at the earliest possible time following the funeral processions of the former Iranian Supreme Leader”. (ANI)