Who is Mohammad Ghalibaf, Rumoured to be Trump's Target to Lead Iran?
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Chairman of Iran’s Parliament, is reportedly being targeted by United States President Donald Trump as a potential partner and even future leader of Iran. Who is Mohammad Ghalibaf, the figure mentioned by Iranian negotiators with the US?
According to Al Jazeera on Tuesday (24/3/2026), Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the parliamentary chairman, has been reported to have emerged as a central figure in negotiations with the US to end the war against Iran.
Born in the city of Torqabeh in the northeast in 1961, Ghalibaf’s teenage years were shaped by the tumultuous 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran.
As a former Iranian Air Force pilot, Ghalibaf has held several important positions in the country’s government structure, including head of police, mayor of Tehran, and since 2020, chairman of Iran’s parliament, a position previously held by Ali Larijani.
Ghalibaf has also run for president several times but failed. More regarded as a hardliner, Ghalibaf came third after Masoud Pezeshkian and second after Saeed Jalili in the 2024 election.
Although US media reports indicate that Ghalibaf is the person in Tehran that the US wants to negotiate with, the senior leader stated that “no negotiations have been conducted”. He also mocked Trump’s war tactics on social media.
According to AFP, Ghalibaf previously stated on Monday (23/3) that “no negotiations” have been conducted with the United States after US President Donald Trump announced that talks were ongoing.
“No negotiations have been conducted with the US, and fake news is being used to manipulate financial and oil markets and to avoid the traps that ensnare the US and Israel,” Ghalibaf said in a post on X.
However, according to a Politico report cited by Anadolu Agency on Tuesday (24/3), quoting two government officials, the report stated that Ghalibaf is viewed by at least some people in the White House as a reliable partner who can lead Iran and negotiate with the Trump administration in the next phase of the war.
The officials said the White House is not yet ready to commit to any one person. “He is an interesting option,” said one government official, according to Politico.
“He is one of the most influential… But we have to test him, and we cannot rush.”
Donald Trump stated on Monday (23/3) that there would be a “very serious regime change” in Iran. He added that the change has begun because “everyone has been killed” from the previous leadership.
“They have only just started. Regime change will happen automatically, but we are dealing with some people who I think are very reasonable, very solid,” he said.