US President Donald Trump-led administration’s efforts in mid-May to reach a ceasefire with Iran led them to take an unconventional route, bypassing the Iranian negotiators for a backchannel to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
For this, then-US director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard tapped the leadership of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, contacting Nechirvan Barzani to reach out directly to the IRGC leadership, Axios reported. Barzani, the President of the Kurdistan region in Iraq, is reportedly trusted by both Washington and senior leaders of the Iranian regime and IRGC.
Trump admin sent messages through Barzani, asked for a secret meeting with IRGC: Report
Both countries has began negotiating an end to the conflict after an April 8 ceasefire and a summit in Islamabad days later. This episode led to US DNI Gabbard reaching out to Barzani on May 10. We prefer to solve this crisis through negotiations,” Vahidi told Barzani, Axios reported citing a source.
He is fluent in Farsi and had personal relationships with many senior members of the Iranian regime, including top members of the IRGC, according to one of the sources cited by Axios. Gabbard told Barzani that the Trump administration thought he could help get in touch with the commander of the IRGC, Gen, according to two sources who had direct knowledge of the call cited by Axios. Brett McGurk, who has served as a Middle East adviser to four US presidents, said “Barzani is a pragmatic problem solver” and respected across the region. That’s who you call in a pinch,” McGurk said. Gabbard, during the call, made it clear to Barzani that she was making the call with the approval of US Presiden Trump and Vice President JD Vance, the source cited by Axios said. The US director of national intelligence further told the Iraqi leader that the White House wanted to know if Vahidi and the IRGC were on the same page as Ghalibaf and Araghchi, or whether they had separate demands. Barzan, agreeing to America’s request, reached out to his contacts at the IRGC and said he had a message from the Trump administration, while stating that he wanted to speak to Vahidi.
He lived in Iran during the country’s war with Iraq, and studied at the University of Tehran. the truce has since collapsed While the US and Iran did reach an interim ceasefire following these efforts. In this case, in early May, the White House felt it was closing in on a deal, but Iran delayed its response by ten days. This stall made US negotiators question whether Iranian negotiators – Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and foreign minister Abbas Araghchi – were empowered to reach a deal, and if they would be overruled by the IRGC. Ahmad Vahidi. “He knows nearly everyone in Tehran as well as Washington. Within four days, an IRGC official visited Barzani’s office in Iraq’s Erbil, carrying an encrypted phone to conduct a secure call. “I fully support them and this is also the position of the IRGC.
