One of the key figures being considered at the White House for future negotiations is 64-year-old Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. In Washington, he is seen as a pragmatic politician with whom it is possible to do business, despite his previously harsh statements toward the United States.
The sources said no decisions regarding Ghalibaf have yet been made. The administration wants to “stress-test several candidates,” they added.
The publication notes that the Trump administration is seeking a compromise with Iran’s future leadership that would ensure stable energy supplies in exchange for maintaining internal political control.
According to the sources, the list of candidates does not include Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah.
As Politico sources said, the White House is considering a “Venezuela scenario” for Iran, in which a politician comes to power who has domestic support while also being loyal to the United States.
“Ghalibaf is the quintessential insider: ambitious and pragmatic, yet fundamentally committed to preserving Iran’s Islamist order. This makes him an unlikely candidate to offer Washington any significant concessions,” a senior Iran analyst at the International Crisis Group said.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps during the Iran-Iraq War.
In 1999, he was appointed Iran’s police chief. From 2005 to 2017, he served as mayor of Tehran. Since 2020, he has been the speaker of the Majlis, Iran’s unicameral parliament.