He is one of the last strongmen of Tehran still alive. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, powerful president of the Iranian Parliament, has been the center of attention for several days.
Because it may be him that Donald Trump was referring to when he talked Sunday night about new Iranian leaders being “much more reasonable.” “We are dealing with people different from those anyone has dealt with before,” the American president assured journalists, adding “seeing a possible agreement” with these new Iranian leaders, “maybe soon.”
“I was among those who handed out blows in the street and I’m proud of it.”
Is Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf really “much more reasonable”? He joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (CGRI) in his adolescence, during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. Now 64 years old, he has been a fervent supporter of the Revolutionary Guards his whole life. He is described as a conservative and a hardline representative of the Iranian political scene. He notably took part in the violent counter-insurgency against Kurdish rebels in western Iran.
Appointed chief of the Iranian police in the 1990s, he toughened police practices during student demonstrations, notably in 1999. “I was among those who handed out blows in the street and I’m proud of it,” he said concerning these protests in an audio recording from 2013, as reported by CNN.
A respected pilot – he participated in decisive battles like the recapture of Khorramshahr in 1982 – he later led the Aerospace Force of the Revolutionary Guards from 1997 to 2000. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf then entered politics at the start of the 2000s.
Mayor of Tehran for twelve years
Ambitious, he ran for president three times (in 2005, 2013, 2024) and withdrew in 2017 in favor of Ebrahim Raisi. Defeated each time, he was notably surpassed by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2005. But these campaigns gave him national fame, allowing him to secure the coveted position of Mayor of Tehran, which he held for twelve years, from 2005 to 2017.
During this period, he showed pragmatism with the extension of the metro and other infrastructures, created housing and green spaces. However, serious corruption allegations tainted his tenure.
President of the Parliament since 2020, he is said to be “in charge of overseeing the war effort and strategy,” according to Farzan Sabet, a researcher at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, interviewed by AFP. Yale University lecturer Arash Azizi believes he is now “the most powerful man in Iran,” as “a rare figure whose portfolio covers the regime’s military, security, and political functions,” as reported by RFI.
“The epitome of the old authoritarian military and political leader”
“Ghalibaf epitomizes the old authoritarian military and political leader perfectly. [⋯] In terms of foreign policy, he usually advocates for a strong Iran, but has not categorically opposed negotiations or concessions. [⋯] But the idea that he would be open to significant concessions to the United States is quite hard to believe,” says Iranian commentator Alireza Talakoubnejad, as reported by Le Courrier international.
Since the start of American and Israeli strikes on February 28, he has been speaking daily on social media, usually provoking Washington. On March 23, he stated “no negotiations have been held with the United States, and fake news is being used to manipulate financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the United States and Israel are bogged down.”
