A former commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has emerged as a potential US contact for negotiations as the new Supreme Leader's authority remains unclear.
Ghalibaf, known as a hardliner but one the West could do business with, has been described as a 'hot option' by a US official. However, his actual influence within Iran remains uncertain.
Born in 1961, Ghalibaf joined the Revolutionary Guards during the Iran-Iraq war and rose through the ranks. He later served as head of the Guard's air force and as Tehran's mayor from 2005 to 2017.
He ran for president multiple times and became speaker of Iran's parliament in 2020. His ties with Mojtaba Khamenei, the new Supreme Leader, may bolster his standing.
US officials are considering him as a potential negotiating partner, similar to Venezuela's Delcy Rodriguez, though Iranian media has dismissed the reports as a 'political bomb.'