The US was concerned that Israel could kill Iran’s top negotiators in an attempt to derail the peace negotiations between Washington and Tehran, the New York Times has reported, citing American officials.

According to a report by the newspaper on Thursday, US officials feared that Israel would target Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and “doom” any chance of a settlement.

Washington went as far as to ask its allies in the region to warn Tehran about the possible plot by West Jerusalem, NYT sources claimed.

Ghalibaf and Araghchi took over the negotiating process for Iran after Israel had already killed Tehran’s top national security adviser, Ali Larijani, and former Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi, who were both involved in talks with the Americans. The initial US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic in late February killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other high-ranking Iranian officials.

The goals of the US and Israel “quickly diverged radically,” with Washington looking for a deal and West Jerusalem insisting on the continuation of fighting, the article noted.

Ghalibaf and Araghchi first reached a temporary truce with the US in April and then agreed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on June 17, which opened a 60-day negotiating period to work out the final settlement of the conflict. Discussions between the sides are ongoing despite an exchange of fire last week over disagreements regarding the Strait of Hormuz.

In June, US President Donald Trump himself threatened Ghalibaf and Araghchi after Tehran warned that it would shut the strait if Israel continues its military operation in Lebanon. During a phone interview with Fox News, Trump said that he told the Iranian officials: “You won’t even make it back to your f***ing country.”

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed on Monday that new Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is also “marked for death.” Araghchi responded by saying that Tehran would deliver an immediate and powerful response to any threat against its people or leadership.

Funeral processions for Ali Khamenei are set to take place in Iran between Saturday and Thursday, with Tehran warning that any strikes by the US or Israel during this period would be a major “miscalculation.”