New Delhi, Aug. 17 -- The Trump administration used an unconventional backchannel to contact Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) directly after US negotiators became uncertain whether their Iranian counterparts had the authority to reach a deal to end the war, Axios reported.

According to sources cited by Axios, US officials turned to Nechirvan Barzani, president of Iraq's Kurdistan region, in mid-May because of his relationships with both Washington and senior Iranian officials.

The episode highlights the difficulty Washington has faced in negotiating with Iran, where the US has struggled to determine who ultimately controls key decisions on national security and foreign policy, the report said. The US and Iran eve...