U.S. Officials Believed Israel Was Plotting to Kill Iranian Negotiators

- The article describes a behind-the-scenes episode from 2026 in which U.S. intelligence and senior officials believed Israel was planning to assassinate Iranian nuclear negotiators, leading to a diplomatic crisis between Washington and Jerusalem. - Iran's nuclear program has been a flashpoint for decades. Diplomatic talks to limit its enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief have repeatedly stalled and restarted; negotiations often involve Iranian officials abroad, creating opportunities for covert action. - Israel has a long history of targeted killings against Iranian nuclear scientists, military commanders, and officials (e.g., Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in 2020, several IRGC officers in Syria). It views a nuclear-armed Iran as an existential threat and has sometimes acted against the wishes of the U.S., its primary ally and arms supplier. - A plot to assassinate actual negotiators rather than scientists or security personnel would mark a major escalation — attacking diplomacy itself, not just military or technical assets — and would put the U.S. in an impossible position: publicly allied with Israel, but diplomatically trying to negotiate with Tehran.