Israel calls NYT ‘fake news’ over explosive Iran assassination plot claim what really happened?

A new controversy has intensified tensions in the already volatile US-Israel-Iran conflict, after Israel strongly rejected a report by The New York Times alleging possible assassination plots against senior Iranian negotiators.

The report claimed that earlier this year, US officials privately warned Iran about concerns that Israeli intelligence operations could target high-ranking Iranian leaders involved in indirect nuclear talks with Washington.

Israel has now dismissed the allegations as “completely fake and fabricated,” setting off a rare public clash between the Israeli government and one of America’s biggest newspapers.

What did the report claim?

According to the report, US intelligence officials reportedly grew concerned in April that Israel might attempt to assassinate senior Iranian officials who were actively participating in backchannel nuclear negotiations.

The report suggested Washington quietly passed warnings to Tehran through regional intermediaries, fearing that any such operation could derail diplomacy and trigger a fresh regional crisis.

Among the names mentioned were Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, both seen as central figures in Iran’s political and diplomatic structure.

One of the most dramatic claims in the report alleged that Ghalibaf’s aircraft was nearly targeted while returning from Islamabad, forcing an emergency route diversion to Mashhad after Tehran received warnings.

Israel’s strong denial

Reacting swiftly, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the story in strong terms.

In an official statement shared on X, the Prime Minister’s Office said the report was “fake news” and “a complete fabrication of reality.”

Israel denied any such assassination planning and criticised the publication for what it called misleading reporting.

The statement reflects Israel’s long-standing frustration with international media coverage of its intelligence and military activities.

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The New York Times stands firm

Despite the denial, The New York Times has refused to back down.

The publication publicly defended its report, saying it was based on conversations with multiple current and former American officials familiar with the matter.

It also noted that the Israeli Embassy in Washington had declined to comment before publication.

This has turned the issue into a high-profile standoff between media reporting and state-level denial.

Why it matters now

The controversy arrives at a sensitive moment for US-Iran relations, with indirect channels of communication still active despite rising military tensions across the Middle East.

If the reported concerns were genuine, it would suggest that Washington feared Israeli military action could sabotage fragile diplomatic efforts over Iran’s nuclear programme.

The episode also highlights the occasional strategic differences between Washington and Tel Aviv over how to confront Tehran.

For now, no independent proof has emerged to verify the claims, and official US agencies have remained publicly silent.

But with tensions between the three nations already running high, this latest dispute has only deepened uncertainty over what comes next in the region.