Qalibaf, the "pragmatic hardliner" who has resurfaced in Iranian internal politics following Khamenei's death, is now negotiating with the United States.

DUBAI. – Amidst growing tensions between the United States, Israel, and Iran, and following the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in an airstrike, the name of Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf has resurfaced in the spotlight. Mentioned in reports as a potential intermediary with Washington – a claim he denies – his figure emerges during a period of significant internal uncertainty, with power struggles at the top of the theocracy and the rise of Mojtaba Khamenei as the new Supreme Leader. According to three Iranian sources, if such talks were to take place, Iran would send the Speaker of Parliament and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abbas Araqchi, to participate, noting that any decision would ultimately rest with the hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Long before this juncture, Qalibaf, 64, had built a career marked by ambiguity. For nearly two decades, the current Speaker of the Iranian Parliament cultivated a dual image: that of a man trained in the hardline ideology of the system, but capable of engaging with the West. "I would like the West to change its attitude towards Iran and trust Iran, and to be assured that there is an attitude in Iran to advance matters through dialogue," Qalibaf said in 2008 to the newspaper The Times, a statement that summarizes his strategy of international positioning. The potential role as an intermediary coexists with doubts about his true influence within the Iranian power structure and his political history. Vahid Salemi - AP Born in Torqabeh, in the Razavi Khorasan province, Qalibaf does not come from the Shia clergy that seized power after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, but from a humble family. Like many young people of his generation, he joined the Revolutionary Guard during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, where he forged his military profile and quickly rose through the ranks. After the conflict, he participated in reconstruction efforts, heading the Jatam al-Anbiya conglomerate, and later served as chief of the Guard's air force. His entry into politics was marked by episodes of intense internal tension. In 1999, amidst student protests, he confirmed a letter addressed to the then-reformist President Mohammad Khatami, warning that the armed forces would intervene if the government did not suppress the demonstrations. This stance foreshadowed his role in the following years, during which he became linked to the suppression of protests. A leaked recording showed him claiming that he ordered the use of live fire against protesters in 2003, and praising the violence during the 2009 Green Movement protests, events that would later be remembered by his electoral rival, Hassan Rouhani. As head of the Iranian police, Qalibaf promoted the modernization of the force and the implementation of the emergency number 110, although his tenure was also marred by allegations of abuse of power. From 2005 to 2017, as Mayor of Tehran, he consolidated his political profile. From that position, he combined infrastructure projects with a strategy of international visibility that included his participation in the World Economic Forum and laudatory statements about the West. Agencies AP, ANSA and Reuters Middle East War Iran United States