Trump says US talking with ‘respected’ figure in Iran. It may be a war veteran with a record of suppressing dissent

The Iranian official talked of as a potential interlocutor with the Trump administration once boasted that he personally beat protesters as a young police commander in the Islamic Republic.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, has never been shy about his role in suppressing challenges to the Islamic Republic.

“Photographs of me are available showing me on back of a motor bike…beating (the protesters) with wooden sticks…I was among those carrying out beatings on the street level and I am proud of that,” Ghalibaf is heard saying in an audio recording from 2013 about protests years earlier.

In recent weeks, as the US-Israeli campaign has killed many of Iran’s top leaders, he has emerged as one of the most senior surviving civilian figures, part of a shrinking pool of officials now shaping the country’s response.

For the 64-year-old Ghalibaf, the security of the Islamic Republic has always been the overriding priority. His public remarks emphasize resistance, national strength, and the need to confront external pressure rather than compromise.

Little surprise then that he is now issuing declarations almost daily through social media in defiance of the United States and Israel.

Throughout the conflict, he has regularly used social media to goad Trump and demonstrate a hard line on Iran’s conditions for ending the war.

“Certainly we aren’t seeking a ceasefire. We believe the aggressor must be punished and taught a lesson that will deter them from attacking Iran again,” he said on X on March 10.