Live – Iran’s top negotiator declares victory in war as army chief offers bounty for US troops

The Trump administration used Iraqi Kurdistan President Nechirvan Barzani as a secret backchannel to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in May during negotiations aimed at ending the war with Iran, Axios reported, citing three sources with direct knowledge of the contacts.

The report said US officials sought direct contact with IRGC leadership after becoming uncertain whether Iranian negotiators Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Abbas Araghchi spoke for the powerful force.

Axios said then-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard called Barzani around May 10, with the approval of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, and asked him to contact IRGC commander Gen. Ahmad Vahidi.

Barzani spoke to Vahidi in a secure call on May 14 and asked whether the IRGC supported the position of Iran’s negotiators, according to the report.

“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 a source cited by Axios.

The report said Barzani immediately relayed Vahidi’s response to Gabbard, who then briefed the White House.

The Trump administration later proposed that Barzani host secret talks between senior US and Iranian negotiators in Erbil, the report said. Iranian officials did not rule out the proposal but raised security concerns, including fears that Israeli intelligence could target them in Iraqi Kurdistan, and the meeting never took place.

Pakistani and Qatari mediators continue to exchange messages between Washington and Tehran without significant progress, regional sources told Axios.

Barzani has recently sent messages to the White House offering to help restart US-Iran negotiations, according to the report.