The US administration feared that Israel may have planned to eliminate key Iranian negotiators during the ceasefire talks between Washington and Tehran, sources said, The New York Times (NYT) reports.

The assassinations of senior Iranian leaders have been part of Israel’s strategy since the beginning of the war, NYT states.

But US concerns about the possible assassinations of two specific Iranian officials, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, have grown sharply during the delicate ceasefire talks that began in April.

At the height of the conflict, Araghchi and Ghalibaf, as high-ranking Iranian government officials, could have been viewed by Israel as legitimate targets in an attempt to change the Iranian regime.

After serious talks began in April, the US believed that any such assassination attempt would disrupt the dialogue and lead to the resumption of hostilities, NYT adds.