Trump Administration Sought Secret Backchannel to Iranian IRGC

The Trump administration attempted to establish a secret direct communication channel with the leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in May 2026. The effort aimed to resolve uncertainties regarding who held actual authority within Iran, as U.S. negotiators doubted whether Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf possessed the power to finalize an agreement to end the war.

To bypass official diplomatic obstacles, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard engaged Nechirvan Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan region in Iraq, to act as an intermediary. Barzani utilized his established trust with both Washington and the IRGC to facilitate contact with IRGC General Ahmad Vahidi.

While General Vahidi reportedly expressed support for the official diplomatic delegation, a proposed high-level secret summit in Erbil never materialized. Iranian officials feared that Israeli intelligence would target their envoys for assassination. Currently, Pakistan and Qatar continue to shuttle messages between the two nations, though no substantial progress has been reported.