US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a five-day pause in airstrikes on Iran has fueled speculation about a possible diplomatic breakthrough between Washington and Tehran.
According to reports, the United States is exploring the possibility of engaging Iran’s Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, as a potential interlocutor—and even a future leader—in efforts to resolve the conflict. Regime change in Iran has been one of Trump’s key demands for ending the war.
A report by Politico suggests that Trump is signaling a willingness to shift from military pressure to diplomatic engagement. While Ghalibaf, 64, has strongly condemned US-Israeli attacks and defended Iran’s retaliatory strikes against targets in the Gulf region, some officials within the White House view him as a viable figure who could lead Iran and negotiate with the Trump administration in the next phase of the conflict.
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“He’s a strong option—one of the leading candidates. But we need to evaluate carefully; we can’t rush into it,” a Trump administration official was quoted as saying.
The war in the Middle East, now in its fourth week, has decimated much of Iran’s top leadership, leaving the US in search of a reliable negotiating partner. The ongoing conflict has sent shockwaves through global markets, driving up oil prices and pushing several countries into severe inflation.
According to the report, the Trump administration's efforts to identify a potential leader were also influenced by its strategic interest in Iran's oil resources.
“It’s all about installing someone like a Delcy Rodríguez in Venezuela that we say, ‘We’re going to keep you there. We’re going to not take you out. You’re going to work with us. You’re going to give us a good deal, a first deal on the oil,’” the official told Politico.
He said Trump hopes that the new leader will make a deal similar to the one made by Rodríguez who took over after Nicolás Maduro was captured.
Trump previously claimed that US forces had "obliterated" Iran’s military infrastructure on Kharg Island, a key site in the Persian Gulf that serves as Tehran's primary hub for petroleum exports. Speculation is now growing that the US could launch a ground assault to capture the strategic island, especially given the deployment of 4,500 sailors and Marines to the region.