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The "key" Iranian figure with whom the US is said to be communicating, without informing Israel
The elimination of Iran's leadership and the unusual absence from public appearances of the new Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei have highlighted a figure as a key interlocutor, at least for the Americans.
President Trump had hinted at this when he stated that he was in communication with a senior Iranian figure, clarifying that he was not talking about Khamenei.
The person emerging from the shadows is the speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who, according to a report today in Yedioth Ahronoth, is expected to be the one to participate in the talks between Iran and the United States later this week in Pakistan. He himself initially dismissed these claims, calling them fake news aimed at influencing oil markets.
However, according to the same report, Washington has not informed Israel about these contacts with the speaker of the Iranian parliament, who is being "targeted" by the Israelis.
Who is Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf?
Ghalibaf is profiled by the Jerusalem Post, citing sources, as a powerful figure in the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard), with a deep military background and a long history of unsuccessful presidential runs.
BREAKING ????
— FalconUpdatesHQ (@FalconUpdatesHQ) March 18, 2026
???????? Unconfirmed reports suggest Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf was targeted in a possible assassination attempt in the Zafaraniyeh area of northern Tehran
No official confirmation yet from Iranian authorities❗️ pic.twitter.com/2gm6oR5ozv
Born in 1961, Ghalibaf joined the Revolutionary Guards upon its founding in 1980 and rose through the ranks during the Iran-Iraq war, becoming one of its most prominent commanders.
“He is a man of the system in a way that few other politicians are,” said Dr. Raz Zimmt, a senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) and an expert on Iranian affairs. “Unlike the moderate clerics of the past, Ghalibaf has the ‘Soleimani connection.’ He was a close colleague and associate of the late General Qasem Soleimani, which gives him a level of credibility within the IRGC that a civilian cannot achieve.”
Despite his influence, Ghalibaf has consistently failed to win the presidency, running unsuccessfully four times.
However, according to Dr. Zimmt, these electoral failures do not mean a lack of power. “We see a clear separation of roles in Tehran. While the presidency deals with the day-to-day political administration, Ghalibaf – since May 2020 as speaker of parliament, has essentially taken responsibility for the strategic and military management of the state.”
BREAKING: Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has threatened to target those who purchase US Treasury bonds and warned that "financial entities that finance the US military budget are legitimate targets."
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) March 22, 2026
???? LIVE updates: https://t.co/TqpdeNPdzd pic.twitter.com/6PmbsHZCC2
Pragmatist or corrupt populist
To his supporters, Ghalibaf is a “pragmatic conservative,” a man who during his time as mayor of Tehran showed he could manage a complex bureaucracy and achieve concrete results. To his critics, he is a populist mired in systemic corruption.
During his term as mayor, he often faced accusations that he used his ties to the IRGC to shield himself from corruption scandals. “He is very corrupt,” Zimmt points out, “but in the context of the Middle East, that sometimes means he is a person you can make deals with. He understands the language of power and interests, not just religious doctrine.”
Despite his reputation as a pragmatist, Ghalibaf continues to use the harsh rhetoric typical of the regime’s elite. Just this week, a post from his official account on the X platform sparked reactions in Washington and Jerusalem, where he declared that “in addition to military bases, financial entities that finance the US military budget are also legitimate targets.”
According to the analysis, such statements show that, although he may be considered more "manageable" compared to figures like Mojtaba Khamenei, he remains a strong supporter of the Revolutionary Guard's regional hegemony.
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