US secretly contacted IRGC before Islamabad accord

WASHINGTON: American news website Axios has claimed that the US secretly contacted the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) before the Islamabad accord.

To facilitate this, the US utilized Nechirvan Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan region in Iraq, as an intermediary.

The US took this step out of concern that Iranian negotiators could not broker a deal with Washington without the approval of the IRGC.

American officials contacted Barzani to establish a channel of communication with IRGC commander Gen. Ahmad Vahidi.

According to the report, Barzani spoke with Gen. Ahmad Vahidi by phone on May 14. During the call, Gen. Vahidi stated that he fully supported the Iranian negotiators and wished to resolve the crisis through diplomacy.

Islamabad Accord

The Iranian president and his American counterpart remotely signed the final version of the document within a short window of time on June 18.

Pakistan, which served as a mediator in the negotiations alongside Qatar, announced that the agreement entered its implementation phase immediately after both sides signed it. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated on X that Iran will reopen the Strait of Hormuz “without delay,” while the United States will lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports.

An official signing ceremony was held in Switzerland, attended by Iranian, American, Pakistani, and Qatari officials, marking the beginning of technical negotiations regarding the remaining areas of dispute.

The White House released the 14-point text of the memorandum. The document outlines the general framework of the agreement but defers major issues, including the fate of Iran’s nuclear program, the management of its enriched uranium stockpiles, and the mechanism for lifting sanctions, to upcoming negotiations over the next 60 days.