Kamal Kharazi, an 81-year-old advisor to the Iranian government and former Iranian foreign minister, was severely wounded by a US-Israeli strike on his home on Wednesday that killed his wife, Iranian media has reported.
Kharazi, chairman of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, was seen as a potential negotiator and, according to Iranian officials speaking to Iran’s Mehr News Agency, he was overseeing engagement with Pakistan for a possible meeting between Iranian officials and Vice President JD Vance.
The Iranian officials said they saw the attack on Kharazi’s home as an attempt to derail diplomacy. It’s unclear if the US or Israel launched the strike.
While Israel is suspected of being behind the attack since it has an interest in keeping the US in the war, the Trump administration has engaged in deception campaigns when it comes to diplomacy with Iran, and could just be lying about its desire for a deal.
President Trump has continued to insist that negotiations have been underway, but Iranian officials continue to deny that talks are taking place, and there’s no evidence of genuine diplomacy. Trump continues to threaten to escalate attacks on Iran and bomb more civilian infrastructure if a deal isn’t reached.
