US-Iran back-channel chatter surrounds Iran’s parliament speaker amid war tensions
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.