I’m sipping my coffee and reading about the latest drama between the US, Israel, and Iran, and folks, it’s a doozy. Apparently, US officials tried to warn Iran that Israel might assassinate some of their top negotiators, including Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Abbas Araghchi. I mean, can you blame them for being a little paranoid? It’s not like Israel has a history of, you know, assassinating Iranian leaders or anything. The US officials were worried that Israel might try to take out Ghalibaf or Araghchi, which would pretty much torpedo the already shaky talks between the US and Iran.
The warnings were communicated through intermediaries, because, you know, diplomacy is all about subtlety and nuance. The New York Times first reported on these warnings, and I’m sure it was a real thrill-ride for their readers. I mean, who doesn’t love a good story about assassination plots and international intrigue? The top Israeli defense official has been pretty open about Jerusalem’s desire to kill senior Iranian leaders, and President Donald Trump has made it clear that those efforts are complicating negotiations.
In March, Trump even declined to tell reporters who in Iran the US was negotiating with, because “I don’t want them to be killed.” You know, it’s a little tough, he said. They’ve wiped out everybody. I’m not sure what’s more surprising, the fact that Trump is being cautious about revealing sensitive information, or the fact that he’s acknowledging the complexity of the situation. A spokeswoman for the Israeli embassy in Washington declined to comment, because, you know, they’re not really talking about this stuff.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment, but I’m sure they’ll just give us the usual boilerplate response. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have had some intense disagreements on the war with Iran, with Netanyahu frustrated by the ongoing negotiations and Trump believing his Israeli counterpart is too eager to upend a nascent peace. In one particularly heated exchange in June, Trump used expletives to convey his disapproval of a planned military operation in Lebanon by Israel. I’m sure that was a fun conversation to be a fly on the wall for.
The US officials have also been keeping an eye on Israel’s spying network, which has ramped up its intelligence and spying on Iranian and US officials in recent months. Because, you know, espionage is just part of the game. The early days of the war saw Israel assassinate scores of top political and religious leaders in Iran, including the country’s supreme leader and its top national security official, Ali Larijani. But as it became clear that the campaign wasn’t successfully ushering in a new regime in Tehran, the Trump administration appears to have backed away from supporting that strategy in favor of negotiations with Iran.
Targeting Ghalibaf or Araghchi might have upended the very tenuous talks, the future of which is uncertain even now. While the US and Iran have signed a memorandum of understanding calling for a 60-day ceasefire, the agreement leaves the thorniest issues, like the fate of Iran’s nuclear stockpile, for later talks. And even with the 60-day agreement in place, Iran has fired on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and the US has retaliated with strikes on Iranian targets. It’s a real mess, folks.
The situation is still unfolding, and it’s hard to say what the future holds. But one thing’s for sure, it’s going to be a wild ride. So, I’ll just sit back, sip my coffee, and enjoy the show. After all, as they say, “you can’t make this stuff up.” And honestly, I’m a little surprised that the US and Iran have managed to keep the talks going this long, despite all the drama and intrigue. Maybe they’ll surprise us all and actually come to some kind of agreement. But until then, I’ll just keep on reading and sipping my coffee.
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
