The American publication Axios, citing sources familiar with the situation, disclosed information about Washington’s contacts with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in order to end the conflict with Iran. The White House also tried to secretly organize face-to-face negotiations with the IRGC in Iraqi Kurdistan in May, as they believed that Tehran's official negotiators were not authorized to make decisions.
The IRGC is an elite military-political formation directly subordinate to the Supreme Leader of Iran. In 2019, the United States added the IRGC to the list of terrorist organizations, and the following year, on the instructions of President Donald Trump, one of the leaders of the corps, General Qassem Soleimani, was killed in an airstrike in Iraq.
According to Axios, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard (she has since left her post) became the US “liaison” in contacts with the IRGC, and an intermediary was found in Iraq. He became the president of autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan, Nechirvan Barzani, who studied in Iran. The White House began to look for channels of communication with the IRGC after the signing of the memorandum on May 8 due to delays in further negotiations. On behalf of Tehran, they were officially led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.
According to two sources, Gabbard called Barzani on May 10 and asked for help in contacting the commander of the IRGC, General Ahmad Vahidi. She emphasized that the secret contacts were approved by Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance.
Barzani agreed, but the IRGC initially refused to allow him to speak with Vahidi. Finally, on May 14, a corps representative arrived at Barzani's office in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, with a special telephone number to call. The general confirmed to Barzani over an encrypted channel that he supported Tehran's official negotiators.
“I fully support them, and this is the position of the entire IRGC. We would prefer to resolve this crisis through negotiations,” General Vahidi told the Kurdish leader, the sources said.
Barzani relayed the response to Gabbard, who informed the White House. According to one Axios source, the Trump administration, following these contacts, proposed organizing face-to-face negotiations between US and Iranian representatives in Erbil. However, the Iranians were concerned about their safety, fearing that Israeli intelligence might try to kill them. The meeting never took place.
According to Axios, Qatar and Pakistan remain the main mediators between Iran and the United States. They convey mutual messages to the parties, but without any “significant progress,” the publication’s sources in the Middle East noted. They say Pakistan is also sometimes “too optimistic” about its efforts.
“The key challenge for the Trump administration today and in any future negotiations will be to make sure that it is talking to the people who are actually making the decisions. This also means finding intermediaries who are trusted by both the White House and the Iranian regime,” Axios emphasizes.
Iran and the United States still remain in a state of conflict, despite the fact that active strikes on Iranian territory have ceased. Trump recently said that following the confrontation he intends to declare the Strait of Hormuz, which has become one of the subjects of controversy, American waters. Iran emphasized that it will continue to block the waterway, which is important for oil trade, until their demands are met.
As reported by IRNA, Iran's Army Commander-in-Chief Amir Khatami said on Sunday that the country is introducing a $30,000 reward for killing or capturing American soldiers. The United States has not yet conducted ground operations in Iran as part of the current conflict, but in April the military rescued a nearly captured fighter pilot who had crashed.
