Shafaq News- Washington

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani helped establish a secret channel between the US administration and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Axios reported on Sunday, as Washington sought to determine whether the powerful military force backed negotiations to end the February 28 war.

The channel emerged in mid-May, when US officials were uncertain whether Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had the authority to reach a deal with Washington or whether the IRGC could block any agreement.

Citing three sources with direct knowledge of the contacts, Axios disclosed that the White House turned to Barzani because of his longstanding ties with both Washington and Tehran and his contacts with senior Iranian officials.

Around May 10, then-US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard contacted Barzani with the approval of US President Donald Trump, asking him to help establish direct contact with IRGC commander General Ahmad Vahidi. On May 14, an Iranian official brought an encrypted phone to Barzani's office in Erbil, enabling the two men to hold a secure call.

During the call, Barzani asked whether the IRGC supported the negotiations. Vahidi responded positively, and the information reached Gabbard, who relayed it to the White House.

Read more: President Barzani's diplomatic odyssey in Tehran

The contacts subsequently expanded into a proposal for a secret meeting between senior US and Iranian officials in Erbil, with Barzani serving as host and intermediary. Iran did not reject the proposal outright but raised security concerns, including fears that Israeli intelligence had an extensive network in the Kurdistan Region and that members of an Iranian delegation could be targeted in Erbil or while traveling to and from Iran. The meeting ultimately did not take place.

Barzani has since offered the White House further assistance in restarting the negotiations, as disputes over the Strait of Hormuz and broader regional security issues continue to hinder implementation of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on June 18, Axios reported.

Read more: Iraq stands to gain most from US-Iran deal, analysts warn of fragile foundations