Erbil: Axios revealed a secret communication channel established by the Trump administration with the leadership of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) through the President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Nechirvan Barzani.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, in early May, the White House believed it was close to finalizing a deal, but Iran delayed its response for over ten days. American negotiators began questioning the authority of their Iranian counterparts, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, and suspected the IRGC was influencing their decisions. To address this, the White House decided to open a parallel communication channel with the IRGC leadership and selected Nechirvan Barzani due to his established connections with both Washington and Tehran.

Around May 10, then-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard reached out to Barzani. Two sources familiar with the call mentioned that Gabbard believed Barzani could help facilitate communication with the IRGC commander, General Ahmad Vahidi. Barzani, who has personal ties to senior Iranian officials and is fluent in Persian, was informed by Gabbard that she was contacting him with the approval of President Trump and Vice President Vance, to determine whether Vahidi and the IRGC leadership supported the ongoing negotiations.

Barzani agreed to the task and requested direct communication with the IRGC commander. On May 14, an IRGC official visited Barzani’s office in Erbil with an encrypted phone for a secure call. During this call, Vahidi confirmed his support for the negotiators and emphasized the IRGC’s preference for resolving the crisis through negotiation.

Three sources, including a White House official, confirmed that Barzani immediately relayed the Iranian response to Gabbard, who then informed the White House. Following this, the Trump administration proposed holding secret talks between senior American and Iranian negotiators in Erbil. Barzani communicated this proposal to the Iranians, who cited security concerns about Israeli intelligence presence in Iraqi Kurdistan, ultimately preventing the meetings from taking place.

Furthermore, the website disclosed that Nechirvan Barzani recently offered to help restart US-Iranian negotiations amid ongoing disagreements over the Strait of Hormuz and regional security issues, which continue to obstruct any potential settlement.