Iraqi Kurdistan President Nechirvan Barzani has been secretly mediating between the United States and Iran since early March, serving as a backchannel between the two sides even as direct communication remained frozen, senior Kurdish sources have revealed.
According to sources close to the Kurdistan Region Presidency, Barzani began his mediation efforts days after the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Tehran in late February. The Kurdish leader held two meetings in Baghdad with Esmail Qaani, commander of the IRGC Quds Force, the overseas operations arm of Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps, to discuss de-escalation between Washington and Tehran.
A Bridge Between Warring Sides
The revelation, first reported by Axios on August 16 and confirmed by Iran International and Al Arabiya English, fills a gap in the public understanding of how the US and Iran have managed to avoid further escalation despite the absence of formal diplomatic channels. Despite US President Trump claims that unofficial communication lines exist between the two governments, the IRGC has repeatedly denied any direct contact.
Barzani has recently sent messages to the White House offering to help restart broader US-Iran negotiations, according to a source with knowledge of the matter. The mediation effort has taken on fresh urgency as the 60-day interim deal brokered through Qatar has expired, with Iran Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf declaring the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until Washington meets its conditions.
Context of the Backchannel
The Barzani backchannel operates alongside other diplomatic tracks. Qatar hosted indirect talks between US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner with Iranian intermediaries, while Switzerland also facilitated discussions in June that produced what mediators described as encouraging progress. Iraq itself has been a frequent venue for backdoor contacts given its unique position maintaining relationships with both the US military presence on its soil and Tehran-backed militia groups.
Former US official Brett McGurk, who has extensive experience with Iraqi Kurdish diplomacy, noted that the issue is not the mediator but the willingness of both sides to make concessions. Barzani role is particularly significant because the Kurdistan Region has maintained relatively cordial relations with both Washington and Tehran throughout the conflict, hosting US military bases while also maintaining economic ties with Iran.
Sources: Al Arabiya English; Axios; Iran International; Reuters
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