A former commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has emerged as a possible US contact for talks – as the new Supreme Leader’s condition remains uncertain.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is the speaker of the Iranian parliament, has historically portrayed himself as a hardliner, but one the West could do business with.
“He’s a hot option,” one US administration official told Politico. “He’s one of the highest…But we got to test them, and we can’t rush into it.”
However, others have cast doubt on this claim and it is unclear what influence Ghalibaf holds in Iran.
Who is Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf?
Born in 1961 in northeast Iran, Mr Ghalibaf is the son of a shopkeeper. Like many young men of his generation, he joined the paramilitary Guard during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, quickly rising through the ranks.
A trained pilot, he later served as the head of the Guard’s air force and subsequently the head of Iran’s police.
In a leaked recording of a meeting between Mr Ghalibaf and members of the Guard’s volunteer Basij force, he claimed he ordered gunfire be used against demonstrators in 2003.
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“I would like the West to change its attitude to Iran and trust Iran, and rest assured that there’s an attitude in Iran to advance issues through dialogue,” he told The Times in 2008.
Between 2005 and 2017, he served as mayor of the capital, Tehran, during which time he faced corruption allegations, including over around $3.5m (£2.61m) being donated to a foundation run by his wife.
He ran in presidential elections in 2005, 2013, 2017 and 2024. In 2020 he became speaker of Iran’s parliament.
Ghalibaf and the Supreme Leader
He has reportedly had close ties with Mojtaba Khamenei, who recently became Supreme Leader of Iran following the death of his father.
“Mojtaba is said to help Ghalibaf as an advisor, financier, and provider of senior-level political support. His support for and closeness to Ghalibaf reportedly remains undiminished,” US diplomats suggested in a 2008 cable published by WikiLeaks.
It is possible that Mojtaba Khamenei’s elevation to Supreme Leader could boost Mr Ghalibaf’s position within the Iranian power structure.
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Could Ghalibaf speak to the Americans?
That’s what Politico has reported, with US officials perhaps pinpointing him as a negotiating partner.
It’s possible US President Donald Trump will be looking for an Iranian version of Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez, who replaced ousted leader Nicolas Maduro.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, believed to be close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, described reports in Western media as a “political bomb” meant to put the country’s leaders in disarray.
“Qalibaf [Ghalibaf] was introduced as a negotiating party in order to present a contradictory and non-unified image of Iran,” Tasnim said.
“The mention of Qalibaf’s name was clearly intended to create internal divisions within Iran and to provoke conflict among political forces.”