According to information from unnamed US officials quoted by the Wall Street Journal, the US and Israel have temporarily removed Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi from the list of targets for about 4-5 days.
This move takes place in the context of President Donald Trump's administration signaling its willingness to pursue a diplomatic solution with Iran. Intermediaries from Turkey, Pakistan and Egypt are making efforts to promote a meeting between US and Iranian representatives in the next few days to seek a ceasefire and move towards peace negotiations. However, many officials believe that the prospect of achieving positive results is not high due to large differences in the requirements of the two sides.
US and Iranian officials have not yet made official comments on information related to the adjustment of the target list. Previously, since the conflict broke out, the US and Israel have launched many attacks targeting senior Iranian officials, including late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Israel affirmed that it will continue its strategy of hunting down leaders of rival forces, similar to what they have done in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.
Meanwhile, the US military mainly focuses on targets that are Iran's defense facilities and military equipment. President Donald Trump recently said that Washington is "dialogueing with the right people" on the Iranian side and said that Tehran "is very keen to reach an agreement", although not specifying the specific targets.
He also said that Iran has changed its leadership after the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and a series of senior officials, as current people are "very different" from before.
However, Iran denied information that it is negotiating with the US. The country's military emphasized that regional stability can only be achieved through strength and did not accept the ceasefire proposal from Washington.
