Reports of Ghalibaf-Trump channel sparks political storm in Tehran

Key Points:

• Ali Larijani's recent assassination has spotlighted Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf as the most senior surviving figure in Iran's Islamic Republic with strong IRGC ties, positioning him as both a potential next target and a possible interlocutor with the West.
• Despite attempts to portray himself as a modern, pragmatic leader capable of stabilizing Iran and improving foreign relations, Ghalibaf is fundamentally a hardliner deeply embedded in the regime's power structure, with a history of repression and corruption.
• Ghalibaf has cultivated an image abroad as a strongman who could succeed Khamenei and manage Iran’s internal conflicts, partly reinforced by his absence from U.S. sanctions and his ability to travel internationally, which has caused suspicion within Iran's intelligence circles.
• His record includes involvement in major corruption scandals, repression of dissent, and family controversies that highlight elite hypocrisy, making him widely disliked among Iranians who have recently suffered under the regime’s oppression.
• Western policymakers should be cautious about viewing Ghalibaf as a moderate or a practical partner, as his role exemplifies the entrenched hardline nature of the Islamic Republic, and engaging with him risks legitimizing the oppressive system Iranians continue to resist.