General Ghalibaf's gamble: An IRGC veteran takes on Iran’s hardliners to pursue diplomacy

General Ghalibaf's gamble: An IRGC veteran takes on Iran’s hardliners to pursue diplomacy Submitted by MEE correspondent on Tue, 07/21/2026 - 09:35 Mohammad Ghalibaf has undergone a striking evolution, the infamous 'jihadist manager' now championing talks with the US despite his own conservative camp’s opposition Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, dressed in an IRGC uniform, chairs a session in Tehran on 1 February 2026 (Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency/AFP/HO) Off Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran's parliament speaker and chief negotiator in talks with the United States, is facing perhaps the greatest political test of his career. A lifelong conservative and former Revolutionary Guard commander, he is trying to steer the Islamic Republic out of its confrontation with Washington through diplomacy, while fending off fierce attacks from hardliners who accuse him of abandoning Iran's strategic leverage. A senior political source who spoke to Middle East Eye on condition of anonymity described Ghalibaf as a conservative pragmatist who favours repairing relations with the West while preserving Iran's strategic partnership with China.

"His foreign policy instincts resemble those of [former moderate president] Hassan Rouhani," the source said, "but unlike Rouhani, Ghalibaf is careful not to alienate the Islamic Republic's conservative base." According to the source, the current supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, shares to some extent that strategic outlook, which has helped cement their alliance. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); "If they didn't have the same visions and mindset, their alliance wouldn't have lasted this much," the source said, adding that Ghalibaf's relationship with Mojtaba Khamenei has steadily deepened since the early 2000s. "They gradually became a political team," the source said, pointing to rare public appearances in which the two were photographed sitting beside one another during previous Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's speeches.

‘[Mohammad Ghalibaf and Mojtaba Khamenei] gradually became a political team’ - A senior political source According to the source, this partnership has helped Ghalibaf to withstand the growing hardline backlash since the start of the negotiations he is conducting with the US. "Following the first round of talks with the United States in Islamabad, hardline figures appealed to M…