Washington / Tehran: New disclosures by U.S. officials have revealed significant differences between the United States and Israel over their strategic objectives during the conflict with Iran. According to officials familiar with the matter, Washington opposed Israeli plans to assassinate senior Iranian officials who could play a role in future diplomatic negotiations.

The revelations indicate that the United States prevented previously prepared Israeli plans targeting Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, believing their elimination would undermine any future diplomatic engagement with Tehran.

According to reports, Israel sought to weaken the Iranian leadership and pursue broader regime-change objectives. However, the U.S. administration concluded that such goals were unrealistic and instead focused on degrading Iran’s military capabilities and naval assets while keeping diplomatic options open.

Former U.S. State Department official Aaron David Miller, who has served both Republican and Democratic administrations, said the developments highlight a clear divergence in the war aims of Washington and Tel Aviv. He argued that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was determined to prevent negotiations that could produce a diplomatic breakthrough between the United States and Iran.

Officials also revealed that tensions between the two allies intensified following the reported Israeli assassination of senior Iranian official Ali Larijani in March. A Western official described Larijani’s death as a turning point, saying Washington had viewed him as one of the few influential Iranian figures with whom meaningful negotiations might have been possible.

Speaking in March, U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged that Israel’s campaign of targeted killings had complicated diplomatic efforts with Tehran. He remarked that the situation had become “more difficult” because many potential interlocutors had already been eliminated.

Iran officially announced that Ali Larijani, aged 67, along with his son Mortaza, an aide, and several associates, were killed in an airstrike on March 16 in the Pardis district northeast of Tehran. Iranian authorities accused Israel, with U.S. support, of carrying out the attack—an allegation that has remained a source of international controversy.

The disclosures underscore growing strategic differences between Washington and Tel Aviv, particularly over whether military pressure or diplomatic engagement offers the most effective path toward addressing tensions with Iran.