Axios: Iran declined secret talks with the US in Erbil due to concerns over assassination.
Axios reported that the US had previously asked Masoud Barzani to host secret talks between senior Iranian and US officials in Erbil.
According to the report, Barzani conveyed Washington’s proposal to the Iranian side, and Iran did not completely reject it but expressed concerns about the safety of its negotiators.
As written by Axios, the Iranian side believed that Israel had numerous intelligence agents in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and there was a possibility that Iranian negotiators could be targeted for assassination in Erbil or on their way to and from the city.
Ultimately, the secret talks that were supposed to be held in Erbil never took place.