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Secretary of State Michael Pompeo ordered U.S. diplomats to limit any contact with Iranian opposition groups, including one that once hired Rudy Giuliani and paid thousands of dollars to former National Security Adviser John Bolton to speak at one of its rallies.

The directive about Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, its offshoot, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, and five other groups was delivered in a cable sent to all U.S. diplomatic outposts on Tuesday and obtained by Bloomberg News. It says meetings with the groups could jeopardize U.S. diplomacy with Iran.

“Direct U.S. government engagement with these groups could prove counterproductive to our policy goal of seeking a comprehensive deal with the Iranian regime that addresses its destabilizing behavior,” the cable said. Exiled Iranian opposition groups “try to engage U.S. officials regularly to gain at least the appearance of tacit support and enhance their visibility and clout.”

The cable struck a dissonant note, coming less than a week after the U.S. killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, a move widely seen as shutting down any chance of diplomacy for the time being. It also highlights conflicting strategies the administration is trying to balance: Maintaining a “maximum pressure” campaign against the Islamic Republic while also trying to leave the door open for a deal.