March 26, 2026 | 08:45 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The United States (US) and Israel have removed Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi from their target list amid alleged talks with Tehran, US media reported on Wednesday.
According to The Wall Street Journal, as reported by Antara, citing US sources, the removal of Ghalibaf and Araghchi from the target list is only temporary and will last only five days.
The removal of the two Iranian officials follows President Donald Trump's claim earlier this week that Washington and Tehran had held "very positive and productive" talks, delaying a US attack on Iran's energy infrastructure and hoping progress would be achieved within five days.
Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Ministry denied reports of any direct talks, saying it had only received a message expressing Washington's willingness to engage in dialogue.
On February 28, the US and Israel launched a joint attack on several targets in Iran, including Tehran, causing damage and civilian casualties. Iran retaliated by attacking Israeli territory and US military targets in the Middle East in self-defense.
The attack was described as a "preventive" measure to address the threat posed by Iran's nuclear program. However, the US and Israel later stated that they also sought a change of power in the country.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was reportedly killed on the first day of the joint military operation.
Throughout the series of attacks, several senior Iranian military and political officials were also reportedly killed, including Chief of Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi, Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, Secretary of the National Security Council Ali Larijani, Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib, Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Mohammad Pakpour, and Secretary of the National Defense Council Ali Shamkhani.
Russian President Vladimir Putin described Khamenei's assassination as a cynical violation of international law. The Russian Foreign Ministry also condemned the US-Israeli operation and called for an immediate de-escalation and cessation of hostilities.
Read: Is Iran Cashing in Millions from Strait of Hormuz Blockade?
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