In May, three months into the war launched by the US and Israeli strikes, then-director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard reached out to Nechirvan Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan region in Iraq, who has close ties to the IRGC, to attempt to find out the position of its leader, Gen. Ahmad Vahidi.<\/p>\n
A few days later, Barzani arranged a phone call with Vahidi, during which the general assured him that the IRGC backed Araghchi and Ghalibaf, the report said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI fully support them and this is also the position of the IRGC. We prefer to solve this crisis through negotiations,\u201d Axios quoted him as saying. His message was quickly passed to the White House via Gabbard.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\tGet The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
\n\t\t\tby email and never miss our top stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n The Trump administration sought to expand Barzani\u2019s role by having him host direct talks between the US and Iran in Erbil, Iraq, but the Iranians declined due to fears that representatives would be targeted by Israel, which was thought to have a strong intelligence presence in Kurdistan, the report added.<\/p>\n \t That meeting never took place, but Iranian and US officials attended a summit the next month, where they signed a framework for peace talks, which have since collapsed.<\/p>\n Gabbard has also since left her position.<\/p>\n Iran and the United States have since traded fire sporadically, with fighting mainly centered in southern Iran and around the strategic Strait of Hormuz, and US President Donald Trump has said that he would \u201clow key\u201d the negotiations and focus on ramping up economic pressure<\/a> on Tehran to force it to abandon its recently emboldened demands.<\/p>\n Iran said last week that no talks are currently being held with the US, nor are there any plans for such talks to restart, though Tehran is still in contact with mediators Qatar and Pakistan.<\/p>\n As negotiations have all but completely stopped, Axios reported that Barzani recently told the White House that he could try to restart direct talks with Iran, citing a source familiar with the matter.<\/p>\n \t Top US general visits Middle East<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Adm. Brad Cooper, the top US military commander in the Middle East, visited the USS Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea during a 10-day tour in the region that concluded on Saturday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Sunday.<\/p>\n The visit came as reports have emerged<\/a> of mental health and supply issues aboard the long-deployed aircraft carrier.<\/p>\n The Lincoln arrived in the Middle East in January and has been supporting the US war against Iran, including the blockade on Iranian ports. Its deployment has included a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 240 days. Extended deployments of carriers \u2014 which can have more than 5,000 sailors and Marines on board \u2014 have raised concerns about the impact not only on the ships but on service members.<\/p>\n \t \u201cHistory will record this deployment as one of the most operationally intense and consequential of the modern era,\u201d Cooper said of the Lincoln strike group in a statement released Saturday.<\/p>\n Cooper also went to Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates to meet with civilian and military leaders, according to the Central Command statement.<\/p>\n $30,000 bounty on US soldiers<\/p>\n As the top US regional commander visited the Middle East,\u00a0Iran\u2019s military announced on Sunday that it was offering a bounty equivalent to $30,000 for killing or capturing US soldiers, with the reward doubled if carried out by a woman.<\/p>\n Army chief Amir Hatami said the plan had been drawn up following \u201cthe large number of requests\u201d to participate in the financial support, according to the IRNA state news agency.<\/p>\n \t There has been no known deployment of US ground forces in Iran during the Middle East war, with the exception of a rescue mission in April for a downed American pilot.<\/p>\n Hatami did not provide any details on where or when the killing or capturing of US soldiers was expected to take place.<\/p>\n \u201cAnyone who kills or captures and hands over an invading American military personnel will receive a reward equivalent to $30,000 or 5 billion tomans from the Islamic Republic of Iran\u2019s Army,\u201d Hatami said, using an informal unit equivalent to 10,000 Iranian rials.<\/p>\n \u201cCourageous Iranian women who carry out such an action will receive double the reward,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform \u2014 from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.<\/p>\n This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.<\/p>\n \u2014 Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist<\/p>\n \t\t\t
\t\t\t
\t\t\tAlready a member? Sign in to stop seeing this<\/a><\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t That\u2019s why we started the Times of Israel – to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.<\/p>\n So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven\u2019t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.<\/p>\n For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.<\/p>\n Thank you, \t\t\t
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/000_19M1R4-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tNechirvan Barzani, prime minister of Iraq\u2019s autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), shows his ink-stained index finger after casting his ballot for the parliamentary election at a polling station in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdish autonomous region in northern Iraq, on September 30, 2018. (AFP PHOTO \/ SAFIN HAMED)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26223797126818-1-e1786703229376-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tA woman waves an Iranian flag during a pro-government gathering at a square in Tehran, Iran, August 11, 2026. (AP Photo\/Vahid Salemi)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/9780650-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tThe Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) transits the Arabian Sea, in a photo released July 1, 2026. (US Navy photo)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26227616290289-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tA billboard with a message that reads in Persian: \u2018We must rise up\u2019 and an image of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei towers over downtown traffic in Tehran, Iran, August 15, 2026. (AP Photo\/Vahid Salemi)<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tHelp us report truthfully on social media\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/gabriella-200.png\" "\\"\\"\/")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tSupport our work\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tSupport our work\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tYou’re a dedicated reader\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/334x334.png\" "\\"\\"\/")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tJoin Our Community\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n