Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Monday denied US President Donald Trump’s claim that Washington was engaged in backchannel talks with the force over the war.Trump, speaking to Fox News on Monday, said the United States had established contact with the IRGC but indicated he was in no rush to end the ongoing war.“They’re good poker players, but they’re dying,” Trump said of the Iranian force, adding, “I have no time schedule. I’m not in a hurry.”The reported channel was facilitated in part by Iraqi Kurdistan President Nechirvan Barzani, according to his office. A spokesperson for Barzani confirmed to Iran International that he had helped relay messages between Washington and Tehran as part of efforts to ease tensions.The confirmation came after an Axios report said the Trump administration had turned to Barzani in May to establish a direct line with the IRGC leadership. Barzani was approached because of his relations with both the United States and Iran, according to a Kurdistan Regional Government official cited by Iran International.Spokesperson Dilshad Shahab said Barzani had consistently advocated dialogue and negotiations before, during and after the war. He also said Iraqi Kurdistan had maintained a neutral position in regional conflicts, which had helped it build trust with different sides.According to Axios, then-US director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard contacted Barzani around May 10, with the approval of Trump and vice president JD Vance, and asked him to establish contact with IRGC commander general Ahmad Vahidi.Barzani subsequently spoke with Vahidi in a secure call on May 14 and asked whether the IRGC backed the position being presented by Iranian negotiators Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Abbas Araghchi.Vahidi reportedly told Barzani that he fully supported the negotiators and that the IRGC preferred to resolve the crisis through negotiations. Barzani then relayed the message to Gabbard, who briefed the White House, according to the Axios report.
IRGC denies direct talks with US
The IRGC, however, disputed Trump’s account. Its affiliated Tasnim news agency reported Monday that IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebi denied that the force was holding talks with American officials.Mohbehi said “There are no talks taking place between IRGC officials and the Americans,” according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News agency. He dismissed Trump’s claim as “merely fantasies caused by the delusions and nightmares he has suffered as a result of defeat and desperation in the war.”Mohbehi said the IRGC “speaks its word on the battlefield,” while “diplomatic matters fall within the remit of other parts of the Islamic Republic.”He further said that, based on information available to the IRGC and statements from Iranian Foreign Ministry officials, “no talks are currently taking place with the Americans”, citing what he described as “broken promises and the dark experience of repeated and continual U.S. breaches of commitments.”The denial creates a contrast between the US president’s account of contacts with the IRGC and the Iranian force’s own characterisation of them.Mohebi also accused Trump of trying to influence global oil and energy prices amid the conflict, and said Washington should accept what he described as defeat and meet Iran’s conditions.Trump claims US established backchannel with IRGC; Iran denies calls it market manipulation
