Reuters: Pakistani intervention prevented attacks on Araqchi and Qalibaf
Reuters: Pakistani intervention prevented attacks on Araqchi and Qalibaf
2026-03-26 00:41
Shafaq News – Islamabad
A Pakistani official revealed on Thursday that Islamabad had intervened with Washington to prevent the targeting of senior Iranian officials, in a move aimed at preserving political communication channels.
The official told Reuters that Israel had removed the names of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf from its target list, after Pakistan asked the United States not to target them.
He added: “The Israelis had their coordinates and wanted to eliminate them, and we told the United States that if they were eliminated as well, there would be no one else left to talk to, and so the United States asked the Israelis to back down.”
Reuters said the Pakistani military and foreign ministry have not yet responded to requests for comment.
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report that the names of Araqchi and Qalibaf had been temporarily removed from the list of officials Israel seeks to eliminate, as part of the search for the possibility of holding peace talks.
The newspaper, quoting US officials, said that removing the two officials’ names from the list would take four to five days, without mentioning any Pakistani role in it.
Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey are playing the role of mediator between Tehran and Washington to end the war with Iran.
Islamabad maintained direct contact with both Washington and Tehran at a time when these channels were disrupted for most other countries.
Islamabad is seen as a possible location for peace talks.
Iran is considering a fifteen-point proposal sent by US President Donald Trump through Pakistan to end the war.
Trump said Iran is desperate to make a deal, while Araqchi said Tehran is studying the American proposal but does not intend to hold talks to end the war.
shafaq.com
