Iranian Parliamentary Speaker Ghalibaf and FM Araghchi in US good books? Report claims they are no longer targets

The war in West Asia that was started on Feb 28 after the US and Israel attacked Iran pre-emptively has eliminated several high-ranking officers from the Iranian regime, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Security chief Ali Larijani. As the war almost completes a month, US President Donald Trump has blinked and hinted at a peace deal with the Islamic Republic. While Iran has rejected any sort of negotiations with the Americans, citing past betrayal, the US president claimed that his administration is speaking to a “top person” who isn't the Supreme Leader. Reports claimed that it could be Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf. While there is no official confirmation on the same, Ghalibaf and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have been two people vocal in their criticism of the US and Israeli attacks and also at the forefront of what they call their “resistance.”

Now, a new report claims that the US and Israel have temporarily removed these two senior Iranian officials from their list of targets to eliminate as they explore possible peace talks. Interestingly, Trump has even hinted that Iranian parliamentary speaker Ghalibaf can lead the Islamic Republic in the future. As for Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, he was the person, who led the nuclear negotiations on behalf of the Iranian regime that took place before the war. According to the report by the Wall Street Journal, US officials were quoted saying that mediators from Turkey, Pakistan and Egypt are pushing for US and Iranian negotiators to meet in the next couple of days to discuss pausing the war. However, they said that the odds of success are low as there are major gaps between US and Iranian demands.

Also Read: Who is Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf? Iran speaker who might be Trump's ‘top person’

Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf and Trump's ‘top person’

Earlier, a Politico report claimed that the White House sees Ghalibaf as a reasonable person but 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. Trump after announcing five-day halt on Iranian strikes this week 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.

Also Read: Iran allows India, 4 other nations to use Strait of Hormuz amid energy crisis

Ghalibaf has ruled out any talks with Washington and took to X to slam the US administration in sharp words amid his name surfacing as a mediator. "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.

Also Read: Iran clears stance on Trump's peace plan after 'unleash hell' threat by US

Araghchi rules out negotiations but says ‘messages exchanged’

On Mar 25, Araghchi suggested ‌some willingness by Tehran about peace talks but ruled out negotiations. Araghchi said that his country is reviewing a US proposal to end the war in the Gulf but has ​no intention of holding talks citing past betrayal. The diplomat did agree about the exchange of messages between US and Iran through mediators, but clarified that it “does not mean negotiations with the US."

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.