During mid-May, the Trump administration sought to resolve communication hurdles in negotiations aimed at ending the war with Iran. U.S. officials expressed uncertainty regarding whether the Iranian representatives at the negotiating table possessed the actual authority to speak on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

To address this, the administration initiated an unconventional diplomatic strategy by attempting to bypass official Iranian channels. Officials reached out directly to the leadership of the IRGC, a branch of the Iranian Armed Forces. To facilitate this contact, the U.S. utilized Nechirvan Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan region in Iraq, as an intermediary. Barzani was selected for this role due to his unique position of maintaining trust with both American and Iranian military leadership.

This backchannel represents a significant departure from standard diplomatic protocols, reflecting the administration's desire to ensure that any potential agreements reached were backed by the most powerful military faction within the Iranian government. The report highlights the complexities of the U.S.-Iran relationship and the reliance on regional partners to bridge gaps when official diplomatic channels appear insufficient or opaque.