The Donald Trump administration reportedly held secret contacts with the leadership of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) through a mediator last May, during negotiations with Iran to end hostilities, after doubting the actual authority of official Iranian negotiators.

Citing multiple sources, US online media outlet Axios reported on the 16th (local time) that the Trump administration utilized Nechirvan Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, as an unofficial channel in May to reach out to the IRGC leadership.

At the time, the United States and Iran were conducting negotiations to end the war after agreeing to a ceasefire.

However, when Iran delayed its response for more than ten days in early May after the White House judged that an agreement was imminent, the White House began to doubt whether the official Iranian negotiation team—namely Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi—held the actual authority to conclude the deal.

This assessment was also influenced by developments during the conflict, in which high-ranking Iranian figures such as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei died, and the IRGC expanded its influence in security and foreign policy decision-making.

The White House realized the need for an unofficial channel to communicate with the IRGC leadership, concluding that the decision-making power of the Iranian negotiation team was constrained by the Revolutionary Guard, according to Axios.

Accordingly, then-Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard contacted President Barzani around May 10, given that he enjoyed the trust of both the US and IRGC leadership, and asked for assistance in making contact with IRGC Commander-in-Chief Ahmad Vahidi.

Then-Director Gabbard reportedly made it clear to President Barzani that the request was made with the approval of President Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

President Barzani accepted the request and asked the IRGC side that he "wanted to speak directly with General Vahidi." On May 14, an IRGC official carrying an encrypted phone visited President Barzani's office in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdish autonomous region.

President Barzani reportedly asked Commander-in-Chief Vahidi whether he shared the same stance as the Iranian negotiation team, to which Vahidi stated that he "fully supports" the negotiation team.

President Barzani conveyed this position of the IRGC to then-Director Gabbard, who in turn reported it to the White House.

Subsequently, the White House went a step further and asked President Barzani to arrange a high-level secret meeting between the US and Iran in Erbil.

While not ruling out the possibility of a meeting, the Iranian side expressed concerns that Israel might attempt an assassination while the negotiation team stayed in or traveled to Erbil.

Ultimately, the Erbil meeting did not materialize.

Axios noted, "A central challenge facing the Trump administration in current and future negotiations is ensuring it is talking to the individuals who actually hold real power."

President Barzani is known to have recently expressed his willingness to help with US-Iran negotiations to the White House.

However, Brett McGurk, former White House National Security Council coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, told Axios that the core of the negotiation deadlock is not a matter of intermediaries, stating, "The issue is Iran's policy in the Strait of Hormuz, and that will not change anytime soon."