According to Barak Ravid, Nechirvan Barzani Played a Role in Establishing a Secret Communication Channel Between the USA and Iran

In a news article published on Sunday in the US-based news portal Axios, signed by Barak Ravid, it was claimed that Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government President Nechirvan Barzani helped establish a secret communication channel between Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the White House. According to the news, on this occasion, President Donald Trump's administration went beyond Iran's official negotiators and had a one-on-one meeting with the Revolutionary Guard Army. According to the report, the communication channel in question emerged in mid-May, when US officials were unsure whether Iran's Islamic Consultative Council Chairman Mohammed Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Arakchi had the authority to reach an agreement with Washington or whether the Revolutionary Guard would block a possible agreement. According to the news based on three sources with direct knowledge of the contacts, the White House; He appealed to Barzani because of his "long-standing strong ties with both Washington and Tehran and his direct contacts with senior Iranian officials." On May 10, then-US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, with the approval of US President Donald Trump, contacted Barzani and requested that he help establish direct contact with Revolutionary Guard Commander General Ahmed Vahidi. On May 14, an Iranian official brought an encrypted phone to Barzani's office in Erbil, and thus the two men had a secure meeting. During the meeting, Barzani asked whether the Revolutionary Guards supported the negotiations. After Vahidi responded positively, this information was conveyed to Gabbard and then to the White House. These contacts later evolved into a proposal for a secret meeting planned to be held in Erbil between senior officials from the United States and Iran, with Barzani serving as host and mediator. Although the Iranian side did not directly reject the proposal, it expressed security concerns that Israeli intelligence has a wide network in Northern Iraq and that members of the Iranian delegation could be targeted in Erbil or during the transfer process. However, the meeting in question did not take place. The news also stated that Barzani has continued to offer assistance to the White House in restarting negotiations since then.