In an interesting development, it has emerged that Israel removed Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf from its hit list after pressure from the United States. And now a Pakistani source has claimed that it was Islamabad that persuaded Washington to avoid targeting the two leaders.
"The Israelis had their coordinates and wanted to take them out, we told the U.S. if they are also eliminated then there is no one else to talk to, hence the U.S. asked the Israelis to back off," Reuters quoted the source as saying.
It was the Wall Street Journal which first reported about Araghchi and Qalibaf being removed temporarily from Israel's hit list for four to five days.
It should be noted that Pakistan is among the countries that are looking to mediate between Iran and the US to put an end to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. Egypt and Turkey have also initiated mediation efforts.
This comes as both Tehran and Washington hardened their positions amid calls for ceasefire from other nations. The US has used Pakistan as an intermediary to deliver a 15-point ceasefire proposal to Iran. However, Iran has dismissed the US proposal to pause the war and issued its own counterproposal.
Araghchi on Thursday said his government has not engaged in talks to end the war, "and we do not plan on any negotiations".
Since the war began, more than 1,500 people have been killed in Iran while 20 people were killed in Israel.
