Iran fears talks a ruse to assassinate top official: report

Iran fears peace talks may be a strategic deception aimed at assassinating a senior regime figure.

By World Israel News Staff

The Iranian regime is reportedly approaching the idea of ceasefire talks with skepticism, fearing the offer could be a ruse meant to locate and assassinate one of the few surviving top officials, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Pakistan recently offered to host negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, with Washington pushing for talks as early as this week. However, Iran has not yet responded to the proposal.

Iranian officials fear that face-to-face talks may simply be a trap to locate and assassinate Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf.

President Donald Trump has made references to the U.S. being in talks with “the man who is most respected” in Iranian politics, leading many to speculate that there is a channel of communication with Ghalibaf.

Ghalibaf “is the guy running the show,” Hamidreza Azizi, an analyst at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, told CNN.

He is also a relative of Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, the widow of slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the mother of newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, further elevating his political significance within Iran’s leadership structure.

Iranian sources speaking to the Journal said many are concerned Trump’s overtures of peace are merely “an attempt to damp oil prices before resuming strikes,” rather than a genuine effort to end the fighting.

Financial and markets analyst Adam Crisafulli told Investing.com that economic pressure appears to be a major factor in Trump’s outreach to Iran.

Describing the economy as “sitting on the brink of a precipice (arguably) more severe than COVID or tariffs,” Crisafulli said he believes “a cessation in hostilities is more likely than not.”

However, he cautioned that such an outcome depends on Iran’s willingness to engage.

“Bringing hostilities to an end will be easier said than done, and the Pentagon doesn’t have full control over how and when the war will end,” he added.