Trump administration used Kurdish leader Barzani as secret conduit to Iran's IRGC
The Trump team turned to Kurdistan President Nechirvan Barzani to bypass Iran’s official negotiators and contact the IRGC directly.
Facing uncertainty over whether Iran’s official envoys could represent the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Trump administration sought an alternative route through Iraqi Kurdistan President Nechirvan Barzani. Barzani’s historic ties to Iran, including fluency in Farsi and personal relationships with senior officials, enabled him to secure a direct encrypted conversation with IRGC commander Ahmad Vahidi in Erbil.
Vahidi confirmed the Guard’s alignment with the official negotiating team and its preference for a negotiated settlement. Following the call, the White House considered holding clandestine talks in Erbil, but Iranian officials raised security concerns about Israeli intelligence activity in the region, and the meeting never materialized. Subsequent diplomatic efforts continue with Pakistani and Qatari mediators, while Barzani has offered further assistance to revive the stalled process.
Why it matters
It shows how the U.S. struggled to find a credible interlocutor within Iran’s power structure during war-ending talks.
How this story developed
- Jul 20 U.S. and Iran intensify air strikes over Strait of Hormuz, diplomacy stalls
- Aug 13 Trump publicly described the Hormuz blockade as "infallible" and reiterated the two‑option approach toward Iran.
- Aug 14 Democratic officials accused Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of lying about the dire conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln, where sailors faced supply shortages and a crew member fell overboard.
- Aug 14 Two Abu Dhabi National Oil Company tankers were struck in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting the United States to warn it can sustain an indefinite naval blockade of Iran.
- Aug 14 Pakistan’s foreign ministry expressed optimism about reaching an agreement to reopen the strait.
- Aug 14 At a rally in Garden City, New York, Donald Trump announced plans to designate the Strait of Hormuz as U.S. territory, a statement that raised questions about a possible policy shift in the ongoing war with Iran.
- Aug 14 U.S. officials said the Navy can maintain a rotating blockade of Iran indefinitely.
- Aug 15 Treasury Secretary announced upcoming financial measures targeting Iran.
- Aug 15 A package of unprecedented economic actions against Iran is slated for announcement next week.
- Aug 15 An unnamed White House official described Trump’s claim to annex the strait as a joke.
- Aug 15 Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the Strait of Hormuz will remain under Iranian command until the United States accepts defeat.
- Aug 16 Iran and Oman move toward a bilateral accord outlining navigation routes for vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
- Aug 16 UAE cited UN Security Council resolution 2817 as being violated by the latest attack.
- Aug 16 Acting Navy secretary Hung Cao announced the carrier will be relieved soon.
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