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 .