US eyes Iran speaker as potential negotiating partner, future leader

The Trump administration is quietly considering Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf as a potential partner — and possibly a future leader — as President Donald Trump signals a shift from military pressure toward a negotiated resolution in the ongoing conflict with Tehran, POLITICO reports.

At 64, Ghalibaf has repeatedly threatened the US and its allies with retaliation, yet some in the White House view him as a pragmatic figure capable of negotiating with Washington in the next phase of the war, according to two administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“He’s a hot option,” one official said, cautioning that no decisions have been made. “He’s one of the highest…But we got to test them, and we can’t rush into it.”

The administration’s search for a potential negotiating partner underscores Washington’s desire to find a path out of the quagmire that Iran has rapidly become, which has jolted global markets, spiked oil prices, and renewed concerns about inflation.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized the sensitivity of ongoing diplomacy, stating, “These are sensitive diplomatic discussions and the United States will not negotiate through the news media.”

Trump himself hinted at outreach to “very solid” figures inside Iran, announcing a five-day pause on “any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure” as diplomatic engagement unfolds.

Energy and economic considerations are central to the administration’s calculations. According to one official, Trump is reluctant to target Kharg Island, Iran’s major oil hub, in hopes that a new leader could secure a deal akin to the arrangement seen in Venezuela with Delcy Rodríguez. “It’s all about installing someone like a Delcy Rodríguez in Venezuela that we say, ‘We’re going to keep you there. We’re going to not take you out. You’re going to work with us. You’re going to give us a good deal, a first deal on the oil,’” the official said.

However, some White House allies caution that assuming the president can select Iran’s next leader as he did in Venezuela is premature, if not naive. “It seems like posturing, like he’s trying to speak something into existence,” said one national security aide, speaking anonymously. “It’s good if talks are happening through an intermediary…But Iran has proven they can take a hit and still make things difficult for us. They’re not about to roll over and give Trump their oil.”

Another Gulf official suggested that Trump may be overstating progress in negotiations to justify delaying his own self-imposed 48-hour deadline, which threatened attacks on Iranian power plants unless the Strait of Hormuz was reopened. “He’s definitely buying time and trying to stabilize markets,” the official said. “What’s harder to know is if he’s serious about finding an off-ramp or if he’s putting unrealistic demands out there so that Iran will say no.”

Analysts express skepticism about Ghalibaf’s willingness or ability to make meaningful concessions. “Ghalibaf is a quintessential insider: ambitious and pragmatic, yet fundamentally committed to the preservation of Iran’s Islamist order,” said Ali Vaez, senior Iran analyst at the International Crisis Group.

“That makes him an unlikely candidate to offer Washington any meaningful concessions. The military establishment and broader security elite would almost certainly constrain him. In the aftermath of US and Israeli actions, the mood in Tehran is not one of flexibility but deep mistrust; the system sees little reason to believe Trump or Israel would honor any prospective agreement.”

By Vafa Guliyeva