Trump Confirms IRGC Backchannel as Iran Ceasefire Deadline Expires; Puts Oman on Notice

The 60-day ceasefire between the United States and Iran expired Monday, but President Trump is signaling that he is in no rush to force a resolution — even as he confirmed the existence of a secret diplomatic channel running directly to Iran’s most powerful military force.“I have no time schedule,” Mr. Trump told Fox News‘s Trey Yingst. “I’m not in a hurry.”Speaking by phone Monday morning, Mr. Trump confirmed that U.S. officials have been communicating directly with leaders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — bypassing Iran’s official political negotiators entirely. “We have a backchannel with the IRGC. We are speaking directly with the IRGC officials in Iran,” he said.The president also delivered a stark warning to Oman, which has played a mediating role in talks and recently reached a separate shipping agreement with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz. “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the s— out of them,” Mr. Trump said.The backchannel with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp was established in mid-May after American negotiators grew frustrated that Iran’s official representatives — Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi — appeared unable to commit to any agreement. White House officials suspected the pair were being overruled by the IRGC, which had dramatically consolidated power following the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during the conflict.To cut through the impasse, then-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard called the president of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq, Nechirvan Barzani, Axios reported. Mr. Barzani was a natural choice: he lived in Iran during the Iran-Iraq War, studied at the University of Tehran, speaks fluent Farsi, and has longstanding personal relationships with senior IRGC figures.“Nechirvan Barzani is a pragmatic problem solver. He’s respected across the region. He knows nearly everyone in Tehran as well as Washington. That’s who you call in a pinch,” venture capitalist Brett McGurk, who served as a Middle East adviser for every president from George W. Bush to Joe Biden, said in an interview with Axios.Mr. Barzani reached out to the head of the Revolutionary Guards command, General Ahmad Vahidi, directly. On May 14, an IRGC official arrived at Mr. Barzani’s office in Iraq’s Erbil province carrying an encrypted phone. Mr. Vahidi confirmed alignment with Iran’s negotiating position. “I fully support them, and this is also the position of the IRGC. We prefer to solve this crisis through negotiations,” Mr. Vahidi said, according to a source with direct knowledge of the call, Axios reported.Despite that early progress, talks stalled. A planned secret meeting between senior American and Iranian officials in Erbil never materialized, reportedly because Iranian officials feared Israeli intelligence assets in the region posed an assassination risk.On Monday, the office of Mr. Barzani’s brother, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, and the home of the security and intelligence agency chief in Erbil were targeted by two drones launched from Iranian territory, according to Kurdistan 24 News. No casualties were reported and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.“We call on the federal government to fulfill its constitutional responsibilities and obligations in protecting the country’s security and stability to prevent the recurrence of such violations,” Mr. Barzani said in a post on X.Mr. Trump made clear Monday that his core demand remains non-negotiable. “The number one goal is, and always will be, that Iran cannot have, in any way, shape, or form, a Nuclear Weapon,” he wrote on Truth Social. Of Iran’s negotiating posture, he said: “They’re good poker players, but they’re dying,” he said on Fox News.As for Gaza, the president also confirmed a separate U.S. channel for negotiating with Hamas. Mr. Trump said Israel “should not be striking in Gaza,” adding, “Hamas agreed to lay down their weapons … Ultimately they are giving up their guns.”

Trump Confirms IRGC Backchannel as Iran Ceasefire Deadline Expires; Puts Oman on Notice

Trump Confirms IRGC Backchannel as Iran Ceasefire Deadline Expires; Puts Oman on Notice

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