US reportedly bypassed Iranian negotiators to reach IRGC leadership during talks

US reportedly bypassed Iranian negotiators to reach IRGC leadership during talks

N
News Editor
2026-08-16 10:36:06
According to ChainCatcher, citing three people familiar with the matter, US negotiators ran into a key problem in mid-May while trying to secure an agreement with Iran to end the war: they could not tell whether the Iranian officials across the table actually spoke for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, one of the country’s most powerful forces. The report says Trump administration officials then used an unusual channel, bypassing Iran’s negotiators and making direct contact with senior IRGC figures. The person chosen to handle that secret line was Nechirvan Barzani, president of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, who was described as enjoying the trust of both Washington and the IRGC leadership. The episode, the report said, highlighted a core obstacle in US-Iran diplomacy: Washington could not clearly determine who held real decision-making power in Iran. The two sides did eventually reach a memorandum of understanding, but it soon collapsed.

According to ChainCatcher, citing three people familiar with the matter, US negotiators hit a basic problem in mid-May as they tried to reach an agreement with Iran to end the war: they could not determine whether the Iranian representatives across the table actually spoke for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a force with major influence inside the country.

The report says Trump administration officials responded with an unusual move. They bypassed the Iranian negotiators and established direct contact with senior IRGC figures.

The person selected to manage that secret communication channel was Nechirvan Barzani, president of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region. The report said Barzani had a rare advantage: he was trusted by both the United States and the IRGC leadership.

The episode highlighted a broader reason US-Iran negotiations were so difficult. According to the report, Washington could not clearly establish who actually held decision-making power in Iran.

The US and Iran did eventually reach a memorandum of understanding, but the report said it quickly fell apart.

This article was originally published by Bit.Fan. For more cryptocurrency news and market insights, visit www.bit.fan.
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