US had secret backchannel with IRGC, learned it supports Iran’s negotiators – report

According to an Axios report, the US government established a secret backchannel with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) last May. The initiative aimed to verify the IRGC's support for Iranian negotiators in talks with Washington, amid US concerns that the powerful military body might undermine the efforts of Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. Then-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard reportedly reached out to Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq, to facilitate communication. The report states that IRGC General Ahmad Vahidi assured Barzani during a phone call that the IRGC backed the negotiators and preferred a diplomatic resolution, a message subsequently relayed to the White House. Separately, Iranian Army Chief Amir Hatami announced a bounty equivalent to $30,000 for the killing or capture of US soldiers, with the reward doubled for women. Meanwhile, Admiral Brad Cooper, the top US military commander in the Middle East, concluded a 10-day regional tour with a visit to the USS Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea.