The Trump administration is considering Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf as a potential leader backed by Washington, Politico reported, citing officials.
Some of them believe that the 64-year-old Ghalibaf is a suitable partner capable of leading Iran and negotiating with the Trump administration. But the White House is not yet ready to choose a specific person, sources said, and is considering several candidates in search of someone willing to make a deal.
One official noted that the speaker of the Iranian parliament is a “popular choice,” but the White House has not yet made a final decision.
“He is one of the most senior... But we need to vet them and we can’t rush,” the source added.
“These are sensitive diplomatic discussions and the United States will not negotiate through the media,” said White House press secretary Caroline Levitt.
Jerusalem Post and Axios journalist Barak Ravid described Ghalibaf as Iran’s negotiator with the United States. Ravid said that US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner have spoken with him. The Iranian politician denies having held talks with the Americans. "There were no talks with the US and fake news is being used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and get out of the quagmire that the US and Israel are in," he said.
Trump claims that the US and Iran have held "very good" and productive talks over the past two days and have postponed further strikes. A deal can be reached within five days "or even less," the White House chief is confident. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, for his part, said that Tehran and Washington are not holding any talks.