Secret Backchannel: How the Trump Team Opened a Direct Line to Iran's Revolutionary Guard

The Trump administration quietly built a secret backchannel to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps during this year's war negotiations, using the president of Iraq's Kurdistan region as the go-between. The previously unreported channel gave Washington something it desperately needed: direct confirmation that Iran's most powerful military force actually backed the diplomats sitting across the table.

Details of the operation emerged Sunday in a report drawing on three sources with direct knowledge of the contacts. The episode shows how the administration refused to let uncertainty about Iran's internal power structure stall its push for peace.

The Problem: No One Knew Who Spoke for Iran

By mid-May, U.S. negotiators trying to end the war with Iran had run into a stubborn obstacle. They could not tell whether the Iranian officials at the table -- Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf -- actually spoke for the Revolutionary Guard, the most powerful institution behind Tehran's leadership.

If the IRGC did not support a deal, any agreement could collapse the moment it was signed. The White House needed an answer, and it needed one from the source itself.

Around May 10, then-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard placed a call with President Trump's approval. The target: Nechirvan Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, a leader with something few others possess -- the trust of both Washington and the IRGC.

A Leader With Unique Access

Barzani's credibility with Tehran runs deep. During the Iran-Iraq war he lived in Iran and studied at the University of Tehran, giving him relationships that span decades. Gabbard asked him to find out whether IRGC commander Gen. Ahmad Vahidi backed what Iran's negotiators were pitching, or whether the Guard had its own demands.

Barzani agreed and reached out to his contacts inside the IRGC, insisting he wanted to speak directly to Vahidi. On May 14, the two men spoke on a secure call. Vahidi's answer was unambiguous: the Guard fully supported Iran's negotiators and preferred negotiations over continued conflict.

"I fully support them and this is also the position of the IRGC. We prefer to solve this crisis through negotiations," Vahidi said, according to the report. Barzani relayed the message to Gabbard, who briefed the White House.

Erbil Talks That Never Happened

Buoyed by the breakthrough, the administration pushed to expand Barzani's role. U.S. officials proposed that Barzani host secret talks between senior American and Iranian negotiators in Erbil, the Kurdistan Region's capital.

The Iranians did not reject the idea outright, but they had security concerns. They believed Israeli intelligence maintained a strong presence in Iraqi Kurdistan and feared their representatives could be targeted there or in transit. The Erbil meeting never materialized.

The backchannel nonetheless helped lay groundwork for a U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding reached in June. That arrangement quickly collapsed, and the two sides have since traded fire sporadically, with fighting centered in southern Iran and around the Strait of Hormuz.

What Comes Next

Pakistani and Qatari mediators continue to pass messages between Washington and Tehran, though regional sources say there has been no significant progress. Trump told Axios this month that the United States is "low-keying it" with Iran and only "semi-negotiating," watching Tehran struggle under crushing inflation while keeping military options open.

Barzani, meanwhile, has sent fresh messages to the White House offering to help restart direct negotiations. With the official channel stalled, the backchannel that once gave Washington certainty about Iran's intentions may prove valuable again.

For the Trump team, the episode reinforced a core diplomatic principle: when the official path stalls, find the person who can actually get answers. It was unconventional, quiet, and effective -- and it just might be the key to bringing Tehran back to the table.