Who is Mohammad

In a spectacular turnaround, American President Donald Trump mentioned on Monday, March 23, “negotiations” with an unidentified Iranian official.

According to an Israeli official, this could be Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the President of the Iranian Parliament.

He seems to play a key role in conducting the war.

The American-Israeli strikes have killed many senior Iranian political and military officials in three weeks of war, but several key figures have survived, including the powerful President of the Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. According to experts, his power has been further strengthened after the deaths of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and security chief Ali Larijani.

“It’s the personality likely in charge of supervising the war effort and strategy,” said Farzan Sabet of the Institute of Higher International Studies and Development in Geneva.

This weight could make him a privileged interlocutor with the United States. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is reported to have met with American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. However, he denied any negotiations with Washington on Monday, citing false information being used to manipulate financial and oil markets.

The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledged receiving a request for negotiations to end the conflict through “friendly countries.” Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, along with possibly Vice President JD Vance, could meet with an Iranian delegation in Pakistan this week.

“The most powerful man in Iran is probably Ghalibaf today,” said Arash Azizi, a teacher at Yale University.

As the son and successor of Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba Khamenei, likely injured, has not appeared publicly and has only released three written statements, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has been vocal in media and interviews. Known for his fierce ambition, he has a vast military and civil experience.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a skilled pilot, fought during the Iran-Iraq war from 1980 to 1988, rising through the ranks to become commander of the nascent space forces of the Guardians in the late 1990s. He then became commander of the national police in 1999 and has been mayor of Tehran for 12 years after his defeat in the 2005 presidential election.

He has been accused by human rights organizations of playing a key role in suppressing protests from 1999 student demonstrations to January protests. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf was elected President of the Parliament in 2020, advocating for economic reforms and parliamentary oversight while remaining aligned with the central principles of the Islamic Republic.

He predicted that the war would reshape the Middle East, but not under Washington’s conditions, suggesting a different order where the U.S. will not prevail.

By Virginie FAUROUX