Axios, citing three people, reports mid‑May US envoys seeking an agreement to
end hostilities could not verify whether Iranian negotiators represented the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The Trump administration therefore
bypassed Iran’s negotiators and opened a secret channel to IRGC leaders through
Iraqi Kurdistan president Nechirvan Barzani, who reportedly has the trust of
both Washington and IRGC leadership. A memorandum of understanding was
reportedly reached but quickly collapsed, underscoring US difficulty in
identifying who holds decision authority inside Iran.
