Hidden backchannel: Barzani bridges Washington and Iran's IRGC during Trump talks
Trump administration officials used Nechirvan Barzani, president of Iraqi Kurdistan, as a direct link to Iran's Revolutionary Guards to test alignment on a potential deal after Iranian negotiators appeared not to be empowered; Barzani contacted IRGC commander Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, who confirmed IRGC support for negotiations, and a proposed Erbil meeting never happened due to security concerns, illustrating the challenge of identifying decision-makers in Iran as the IRGC consolidates influence.