Report: Trump administration used Barzani as backchannel to Iran's Revolutionary Guards

ERBIL, Iraq — The Trump administration established a secret communication channel with Iran's Revolutionary Guards to overcome difficulties in nuclear talks, and Kurdish leader Nechirvan Barzani ran the line from Erbil, U.S.-based media reported. According to the report, Washington turned to Barzani after growing doubtful that Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had full negotiating authority, and wanted to gauge whether the Guards could veto any agreement. Former U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard called Barzani on May 10 with the approval of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, asking him to establish direct contact with Guards commander Ahmed Vahidi. Barzani, who studied at the University of Tehran and speaks Farsi, held a secure call with Vahidi on May 14 using an encrypted phone handed to an Iranian official who arrived at his Erbil office. Vahidi said the Guards stood behind the negotiators and preferred a diplomatic solution. Barzani relayed the message to Gabbard, who passed it to the White House. The U.S. side later proposed a secret meeting of senior American and Iranian officials in Erbil, but Iran declined, citing security concerns over Israel's intelligence network in the region.