Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf: The new key figure in Iran

Ghalibaf: Confidant of Mojtaba Khamenei

Scientist Azizi describes Ghalibaf as “one of the rare figures whose area of ​​responsibility extends across military, security and political functions of the regime.” Besides, he is apparently a Confidant of the new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei.

“No negotiations” with the USA

While Khamenei has not appeared in public since he was appointed successor to his slain father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ghalibaf gives many interviews and speaks regularly on the short message service X. On Monday it was he who contradicted US President Donald Trump. There is “no negotiations” with the USA, he explained. Washington spread”Hoaxes“to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped.”

Ghalibaf is apparently aware that his too Life in danger is. Unlike security chief Ali Larijani, who was killed last week, he did not appear at pro-government rallies. Larijani’s successor is Mohammad Bagher Solghadr, as Iranian state television reported on Tuesday.

Ghalibaf: Revolutionary Guard career and relentless ambition

Known for his relentless ambitionGhalibaf made a career in the Revolutionary Guards and in politics. Among other things, he was commander of the Revolutionary Guards Aerospace Corps, police chief and mayor of Tehran; He has been Speaker of Parliament since 2020. He ran for president three times – without success.

A trained pilot who likes to brag about being able to fly jumbo jets, Ghalibaf fought during the Iran-Iraq War from 1980 to 1988. In 1999, he was appointed commander of the national police. After his defeat in the 2005 presidential election, Ghalibaf was elected mayor of Tehran. His supporters praise the pragmatic approach to managing the city, while critics point to corruption during his twelve years in office.

Human rights organizations also accuse Ghalibaf of being a… Key role in oppression to have played a role in anti-government protests over the past decades – from the student uprising in 1999 to the mass demonstrations in January.

Intended to oversee warfare and strategy

As parliamentary speaker, he campaigned for economic reforms and greater parliamentary control – but without shaking the central principles of the Islamic Republic.

Since Larijani’s assassination, Ghalibaf is “probably the person who… Warfare and strategy monitored” says Farzan Sabet of the University Institute for International Studies and Development in Geneva. “He is speaker of parliament, a former high-ranking commander of the Revolutionary Guards and has strong cross-party and institutional connections, which positions him well for this role.”

After the attacks by the USA and Israel on the Iranian energy infrastructure, “the principle applies ‘An eye for an eye’“Ghalibaf wrote on X and spoke of one “new level of confrontation”. In a video interview widely circulated in the media, he predicted that the war would reshape the Middle East – but not according to Washington’s ideas. “The order here will change, but it will not be an order in which the will of the United States prevails.”