US Establishes Secret Channel with IRGC, Bypassing Iranian Negotiators: Axios

US officials decided in May to establish a direct channel with representatives of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran, suspecting that the Iranian negotiators were not authorized to make independent decisions on matters of war and peace. This was reported by Axios, citing three sources familiar with the situation.

According to the publication, Washington selected the President of Iraqi Kurdistan, Nechirvan Barzani, as a mediator, who had connections with both the US leadership and the representatives of the IRGC.

In early May, the White House believed that an agreement with Iran was close to being finalized, but Tehran delayed its response for more than ten days. The American side grew suspicious that Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi did not have the authority to make final decisions, and that their decisions could be blocked by the IRGC.

According to Axios, around May 10, former Director of National Intelligence Tulas Gabbard, with the approval of President Donald Trump and Vice President Jay D. Vance, reached out to Barzani. He requested clarification on whether IRGC Commander Ahmad Vahidi supported the agreements reached by Iranian negotiators with Washington.

On May 14, an IRGC representative arrived at Barzani's office in Erbil via a secure phone. During the phone call, Vahidi conveyed that the IRGC supported resolving the crisis through negotiations. Barzani immediately relayed this information to Gabbard.

Subsequently, the Trump administration proposed that Barzani organize secret talks between the US and Iran in Erbil. The Iranian side did not rule out such a meeting but, according to Axios, was concerned that Israeli intelligence could learn about the negotiations. Ultimately, the meeting did not take place.

It is worth noting that hostilities between the US and Iran began in February. In June, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding, which included a ceasefire, but the truce was maintained for only a few weeks before military operations resumed.