US-Iran back-channel chatter surrounds Iran’s parliament speaker amid war tensions
TL;DR
Trump paused attacks on Iran’s power plants for five days after claiming very good and productive conversations with a senior Iranian official, with media reports saying the talks targeted Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, though Tehran and Ghalibaf deny negotiations. The piece explains Ghalibaf’s background (IRGC air force commander, Tehran mayor, current speaker) and discusses the plausibility and potential mediators of back-channel diplomacy, noting experts’ cautious assessment of a 60% chance talks occur and possibilities for mediation by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Turkiye, and China.
- Is the US talking to Iran’s Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and who is he? Al Jazeera
- ‘We're in the testing phase’: Trump admin eyeing Iran’s parliament speaker as US-backed leader Politico
- Trump says US talking with ‘respected’ figure in Iran. It may be a war veteran with a record of suppressing dissent CNN
- Here are the still-alive Iranian leaders who could strike a U.S. peace deal Axios
- Iran’s parliament speaker: the outsider seen by White House as possible partner The Guardian
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