DUBAI: As the Islamic Republic’s political leadership is being targeted by Israeli and US strikes, Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, is assuming a more pivotal position. As the tension has intensified, Qalibaf has been negotiating on Iran’s behalf with the United States, according to an Israeli official and a source familiar with the situation on Monday, indicating his expanding involvement.
The former commander of the Revolutionary Guards, mayor of Tehran, head of the national police, and presidential contender is now a crucial link between the political, security, and clerical elites in Iran, as fewer of the country’s most notable figures remain.
The regime in Tehran is fighting a fierce attritional battle to outlast its attackers, nearly three weeks after the unexpected attack on Iran started with the assassination of then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Long regarded as Khamenei’s protégé and a confidant of his son Mojtaba, who rose to the position of supreme leader, Qalibaf has been a prominent voice of defiance against Israel and the United States, promising retribution for their attack.
Following Khamenei’s death, he addressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, promising “such devastating blows that you will be begging.” In an address on television, he said, “I say to these two dirty criminals and their agents: you have stepped on our red line and you have to pay for it.
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