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The appointment comes after Trump's visit to China.
According to Iranian media, the speaker of Iran's parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has been appointed to oversee relations with China.
The Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday, citing “informed sources,” that Ghalibaf has been appointed “special representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran for China affairs.” It was not immediately clear who made the appointment.
Tasnim wrote that Ghalibaf will “coordinate various areas of relations between Iran and China.”
After his appointment, Galibaf supported Chinese President Xi Jinping's vision for historic global transformations, declaring that "the future belongs to the Global South."
The development comes after Trump's visit to China. Some reports suggest that Beijing may have played a role in encouraging Iran to sit at the negotiating table with the US.
In a post on X, Ghalibaf said that Iran's "70-day resistance" to US and Israeli military and economic pressure has accelerated this global shift.
"The world is on the threshold of a new order. As President Xi said, 'transformation unseen in a century is accelerating across the world.' I emphasize that the 70-day resistance of the Iranian nation has accelerated this transformation. The future belongs to the Global South," Ghalibaf wrote.
Iran relies heavily on China as its largest trading partner and main buyer of Iranian oil. Beijing buys the bulk of Tehran's crude oil exports, despite Western sanctions.
China has also provided Iran with significant economic support through financial networks, intermediary companies, and shipping agreements, which help Tehran circumvent sanctions.
The two countries share opposition to American influence and cooperate through joint naval exercises and technological links. However, Beijing maintains balance in the region, maintaining strong relations with Gulf Arab states and avoiding deeper involvement that could trigger Western sanctions.
From Washington's perspective, Ghalibaf is seen as a figure who combines pragmatism with hard-line ideological positions within Iran's political structure. American officials consider him a consolidated part of the system, with significant influence in Iranian security and political networks.
For this reason, he can be seen as an important interlocutor in behind-the-scenes diplomacy. However, some American policymakers remain wary because of his long-standing connection to the Islamic Republic's core ideological positions, particularly on nuclear policy and regional security.
American assessments also suggest that his anti-American rhetoric and public denials of negotiations are often used for domestic political purposes and as a pressure tactic, rather than as a complete rejection of diplomatic engagement.
International media have reported that Ghalibaf may have been the "rational" Iranian figure to whom Trump has indirectly referred during discussions about indirect diplomacy.
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