Israel has temporarily removed Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf from its target list after Pakistan requested the United States to dissuade such strikes, a Pakistani source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
“The Israelis had their coordinates and wanted to take them out. We told the U.S. if they are also eliminated then there is no one else to talk to, hence the U.S. asked the Israelis to back off,” the source said.
The development was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, which said the two Iranian officials had been removed from Israel's list for four to five days as diplomatic efforts continue. The report, citing U.S. officials, did not mention any Pakistani role.
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According to media reports, Pakistan, along with Egypt and Turkey, is currently mediating between Tehran and Washington amid efforts to end the ongoing conflict. Islamabad has maintained rare direct communication channels with both sides and is being considered a probable venue for potential talks.
Iran is reviewing a 15-point proposal from U.S. President Donald Trump, reportedly conveyed via Pakistan, Reuters reported. According to Israeli cabinet sources, the proposal includes removing Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpiles, halting enrichment activities, limiting its ballistic missile programme, and cutting funding to regional allies.
While Trump has said Iran is eager to reach a deal, Araghchi has maintained that Tehran is only reviewing the proposal and has no intention of entering negotiations to end the war at this stage.
Reuters reported that Israeli officials have consistently stated that no senior Iranian figure is off-limits. Defence Minister Israel Katz recently said he and Netanyahu had authorised strikes on officials without prior clearance.
Responding to questions on whether the two officials were removed from a target list following Pakistan's intervention, Israeli military spokesperson Nadav Shoshani said: “The military has a rigorous process before every operation and every strike,” adding, “I'm not going to go into specific potential targets."
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