After Larijani’s death, Iran’s hardline parliament speaker appears to be leading war effort

As the new supreme leader remains out of sight, Qalibaf has positioned himself in the public eye, giving interviews and unleashing threats against Israel and the US

PARIS, France (AFP) — Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker and a veteran of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has emerged as the highest-profile political figure in the Islamic Republic after the killing of its leaders.

A pillar of the Iranian establishment for some three decades and one of the Islamic Republic’s most prominent non-clerical figures, Qalibaf, 64, now appears to be playing a key role in spearheading the war effort.

Whereas the son and successor of slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba Khamenei, has not appeared in public and has issued just three written statements, Qalibaf has been unleashing regular posts on X and giving multiple interviews.

“We are in an unequal war, with an asymmetrical set-up, we must do something and use equipment with our own culture, design and creativity,” he told Iranian television on Wednesday.

In a post on X, he added that after attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure, “an eye-for-an-eye sum is in effect, and a new level of confrontation has begun.”

However, possibly aware of the threat to his own security, he did not, unlike the late Larijani, appear in public at pro-government rallies last week marking Al-Quds Day.

Larijani was killed in an Israeli air strike on Monday, which followed the killing of Khamenei at the start of the war on February 28.

Qalibaf’s varied experience, which spans military and civilian life, has seen him work as commander of the IRGC’s aerospace corps, Tehran police chief, Tehran mayor and now speaker of parliament.

Known to be fiercely ambitious, he has stood for the Iranian presidency on multiple occasions but has never been successful, most notably in 2005 when the ultra-conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, little-known at the time, took the presidency.

A qualified pilot, Qalibaf is known for boasting his ability to captain jumbo jets.

Farzan Sabet, a managing researcher at the Geneva Graduate Institute, said that after Larijani’s killing, Qalibaf was the “person likely overseeing the war effort and strategy.”

“He’s the speaker of parliament, a former senior IRGC commander and has strong cross-factional and institutional ties, positioning him well to move into this role,” he told AFP.

‘Very favorable position’

Qalibaf fought in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War and rose rapidly through the ranks. He reached the upper echelons of the military establishment in the late 1990s when he became commander of the Guards’ fledgling aerospace forces.

He was then named national police commander in 1999, against the backdrop of unprecedented student protests.

He has long coveted the presidency, running in 2005, 2013 and 2024, and briefly entering the 2017 race before withdrawing in favour of another conservative candidate. His strongest showing came in 2013, when he finished second.

After the 2005 presidential election loss, he was elected mayor of Tehran.

During his 12 years as mayor, supporters praised his technocratic approach and focus on urban management, while critics pointed to allegations of financial corruption.

Human rights groups have accused Qalibaf, in his various functions, of playing a key role in suppressing protests, from the 1999 student demonstrations through to the 2009 Green movement that erupted after a disputed election, right up to the nationwide protests that peaked in January 2026.

Qalibaf was elected speaker of parliament in 2020, at times advocating economic reforms and stronger parliamentary oversight while remaining aligned with the Islamic Republic’s core institutions.

“Iran’s strongest man is now probably Qalibaf,” said Arash Azizi, lecturer at Yale University, describing him as “a rare figure whose portfolio crosses between military, security and political functions of the regime.”

“He is known to be running the war effort now,” Azizi said, adding that Qalibaf appeared to be an ally of Mojtaba Khamenei.

“He seems to be in a very favorable position now.”

Qalibaf has predicted the war would reshape the Middle East, but not on Washington’s terms.

“The order here will change, but it will not be an order in which the will of the United States prevails,” he said in a recorded video interview carried by the semi-official Tasnim news agency and other media.