'He’s a hot option': Trump eyes Iranian Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf as Iran's future leader? New report says...
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'He’s a hot option': Trump eyes Iranian Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf as Iran's future leader? New report says...")
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and US President Donald Trump Photograph: (AFP PHOTO / HO /ISLAMIC CONSULTATIVE ASSEMBLY (ICANA))
A report claims the Trump administration is considering Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf as a potential future leader amid war. Trump hinted at regime change and talks, but Iran denied negotiations, exposing deep confusion over diplomacy and the country’s leadership future.
In a big revelation, a new report has claimed that the Trump administration is weighing Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf as a potential partner and a future leader. He has been touted as a “hot option” by two administration officials quoted in a report by Politico. The report claimed that the White House sees him as a “workable partner who could lead Iran and negotiate with the Trump administration in the war’s next phase.” It must be recalled that since the death of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Trump had mentioned several times that he has three “good options” on who could lead the Islamic Republic.
In the Politico report, the administration officials said that the White House is not ready to commit to any one person. “He’s a hot option. He’s one of the highest…But we got to test them, and we can’t rush into it," unnamed officials in the report added. “It’s all about installing someone like a Delcy Rodriguez 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 was quoted as saying in the report.
Notably, US President Donald Trump after announcing five-day halt on Iranian strikes said that there will be a "very serious form of regime change" in Iran, adding that the change had already begun since "everybody's been killed" from the previous leadership. "We're dealing with some people that I find to be very reasonable, very solid," he said.
What Trump announced on Monday?
In a surprise announcement, Trump on Monday (Mar 23) said that he has instructed US Department of War to halt strikes on Iran for five days because the US and Iran had "very good and constructive" talks that would continue through the week. This came ahead of a Monday night deadline imposed by Trump for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane or see the US "obliterate" its power plants. He did not name any official with whom talks were held. After his Truth Social post, Trump spoke to CNBC and said that discussions had taken place with “representatives” of Iran and described the situation as tantamount to “regime change,” citing the killing and replacement of several Iranian leaders. However, he stopped short of identifying who exactly the US had engaged with, only adding that the talks involved a “respected” Iranian figure.
How Iranian Parliament speaker reacted?
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Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in a post on X ruled out any talks with Washington. "No negotiations have been held with the US, and fake news is being used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped. All Iranian officials stand firmly behind their supreme leader and people until this goal is achieved." In another post, he said that Iran is fighting for humanity. “The world is either with Gaza and against this colonial terror regime, or it stands with the Epstein class and child torturers. There is no middle ground,” he added.
Confusion over talks as Iran denies Trump's claims
Iran has denied the claims by Trump and called it "fake news." Ibrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for Iran’s National Security Commission, said that Iran views the current US posture as coercive, arguing that "the enemy understands only the language of force and missiles." Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei's military adviser Mohsen Rezaei also responded on the development and said that the war with Israel and the US will continue until Iran receives full compensation for damage it has sustained. clained that “the war was effectively over” more than a week ago and that “the United States was ready to stop and pursue a ceasefire.” He blamed Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu of pushing the US to continue. Highlighting that the US must legally accept international guarantees and prevent any interference in the country in the future.
Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.
