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.
"His foreign policy instincts resemble those of [former moderate president] Hassan Rouhani," the source said, "but unlike Rouhani, Ghalibaf is careful not to alienate the Islamic Republic's conservative base."
According to the source, the current supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, shares to some extent that strategic outlook, which has helped cement their alliance.
