Report: Trump Used Secret Backchannel to Iran Guard
The Trump administration secretly used Kurdistan Regional Government President Nechirvan Barzani to contact IRGC commander Gen. Ahmad Vahidi in May, according to Axios, citing three sources with direct knowledge.
- On May 10, then-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard called Barzani with Trump's approval.
- May 14: Barzani and Vahidi spoke by phone; Vahidi endorsed the Iranian negotiators' positions.
- Vahidi told Barzani: 'I fully support them, and this is also the position of the IRGC.'
- Proposed secret talks in Erbil collapsed over Iranian fears of Israeli intelligence operations in the area.
Why it matters: U.S. officials were uncertain whether Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi actually represented IRGC positions — a gap that threatened any deal's durability.
- Barzani had unusual standing for this role: he lived in Iran during the 1980s Iraq-Iran War, studied at the University of Tehran, speaks fluent Farsi, and has personal relationships with IRGC members.
- Talks have since collapsed; Iran announced last week that no negotiations are being held and none are planned, though contact with mediators Qatar and Pakistan continues.
How 6 sources split on this story
Where they split: Coverage agrees on the facts; the unstated divide is whether using an unofficial intermediary to bypass formal diplomacy reflects pragmatic problem-solving or signals structural weakness in the U.S.-Iran negotiating process.
Axios3hInside secret backchannel to Iran Revolutionary Guard...IIIran International45mIraqi Kurdistan president’s office confirms Barzani’s US-Iran backchannel role
Jerusalem Post2hTrump used Iraqi Kurdistan leader as secret line of communication with Iran’s IRGC - reportTITimes of Israel4hUS had secret backchannel with IRGC, learned it supports Iran’s negotiators – reportLeft coverage, 1 sources: The left frames the backchannel as evidence of how complicated and uncertain the Trump administration's Iran diplomacy has been from the start.
Right coverage, 1 sources: The right frames the backchannel as a pragmatic, unconventional move to verify IRGC buy-in, while foregrounding Iran's ongoing hostility — including its $30,000 bounty on U.S. soldiers.
What’s next: Barzani recently told the White House he is willing to try to restart direct talks with Iran.
- Former National Security Council coordinator Brett McGurk said Iran's Strait of Hormuz demands are the real obstacle, not the mediators.
- Trump has said he will 'low key' negotiations and increase economic pressure on Tehran.
- Whether the IRGC's stated support for negotiations in May still reflects its current position, given the talks' collapse.
- Whether Barzani can re-establish a channel that leads to substantive talks, and under what conditions Iran would return to the table.