Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard initiated the contact around May 10, explicitly informing Barzani that the request carried the full backing of President Trump and Vice President Vance. The objective was to confirm if Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were speaking for the regime’s military apparatus or merely acting as independent voices. Barzani, a pragmatist with deep ties to Tehran dating back to his university years in Iran, was uniquely positioned to bridge the gap.
On May 14, the operation moved to an Erbil office, where an IRGC official delivered an encrypted phone to Barzani. This device facilitated a direct line to IRGC commander General Ahmad Vahidi. Vahidi confirmed his support for the ongoing diplomatic efforts, signaling a rare moment of alignment between the Iranian military and civilian negotiators. While the Trump administration subsequently attempted to leverage this channel to host secret, high-level meetings in Erbil, the initiative faltered over Iranian security concerns. The episode underscores the persistent, volatile challenge facing Team Trump: identifying exactly who holds the power to make binding commitments in Tehran.
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