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Meet Iran’s hardline speaker who threatened to burn US forces — reportedly Tehran’s point man for talks
The man reportedly being floated by the Trump administration as a possible interlocutor with Iran is also one of the regime’s most hardline figures — Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a longtime Revolutionary Guards commander, widely described by experts as a loyal “yes man,” with a record of threats against the United States and deep ties to the system’s inner circle.
That contradiction underscores the central question facing U.S. policymakers: Even if Washington is speaking to the “right people,” as President Donald Trump has claimed, can someone like Ghalibaf actually deliver?
“Ghalibaf doesn’t have an independent line. His strength is that he is a ‘yes man,’” said Beni Sabti, an Iran expert at the Institute for National Security Studies. He added, “If he is told to shake hands with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, he will do it. If he is told to escalate, he will. It is not about moderation, it is about who gives the orders.”
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Ghalibaf, 64, is a product of Iran’s security establishment.
He rose through the ranks of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps during the Iran-Iraq War, eventually becoming commander of the IRGC air force.
“He even completed flight training abroad, which was not unusual at the time, with France reportedly assisting at one stage. Until recently, he was still conducting training flights in France,” said Sabti.
He later served as Iran’s national police chief, overseeing internal security forces responsible for suppressing protests, including the 1999 student uprising, alongside Qassem Soleimani.
After transitioning into politics, Ghalibaf attempted to run for president multiple times but failed. He instead built his career through loyalty to the system, serving as Tehran’s mayor for more than a decade before becoming speaker of parliament in 2020.
“Ghalibaf went on to serve in senior national roles and is now speaker of parliament. He has consistently aligned himself with the supreme leader and follows directives rather than setting his own independent positions,” Sabti said.
“His name has also been linked to multiple corruption allegations, including misuse of oil revenues and sanctions evasion networks involving his family. His sons have reportedly been involved and are under sanctions,” Sabti said, adding, “There have also been public scandals involving family members traveling abroad and making luxury purchases, including widely circulated images of them arriving with numerous high-end Gucci suitcases.”
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Ghalibaf’s wartime statements reflect a hardening tone inside Iran’s leadership.
He has rejected ceasefire terms, declaring Iran would continue fighting “until the enemy truly regrets its aggression.”
He has also warned that attacks on Iranian infrastructure would trigger retaliation across the region, including against energy targets.
At the same time, he has publicly denied any negotiations with the United States, calling reports of talks “fake news” and accusing Washington of manipulating markets.
In remarks aired on Iranian television on January 12, 2026, he warned that U.S. forces would face catastrophic consequences if they confronted Iran. “Come, so you can see what catastrophe befalls American bases, ships and forces,” he said, adding that American troops would be “burned by the fire of Iran’s defenders.”
In the same remarks, broadcast and translated by MEMRI, he described the U.S. president as “delusional and arrogant,” and framed Iran’s ideology as a growing global movement.
More recently, he escalated further. He warned that “the blood of American soldiers is the personal responsibility of Trump,” and vowed Iran would “settle accounts with the Americans and Israelis,” adding that “Trump and Netanyahu crossed our red lines and will pay the price.”
He has also threatened retaliation against regional energy infrastructure, signaling a willingness to expand the conflict beyond direct military confrontation.
“He’s considered relatively moderate in the current Iranian context, but he’s not the one calling the shots. He’s not the leader himself,” Danny Citrinowicz, Middle East, National Security and intelligence expert, told Fox News Digital that adding that Ghalibaf may serve as a channel to Iran’s leadership, but not as the ultimate authority.
“If you want to speak to someone in Iran, he’s probably the point of contact,” he said. “But he’s not deciding anything. Even if he wants to do something, he has to get approval from the IRGC and the supreme leadership.”
Sabti said that “Some point to periods during Rouhani’s presidency when he appeared to align with Rouhani and describe him as somewhat moderate, but that is misleading,” he said.
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Analysts say the bigger issue is not Ghalibaf himself, but the system he operates within.
Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said: “Those who see the ascendance of someone like Ghalibaf, who is an IRGC veteran, as extending power outside his traditional civilian role have missed how personality, not profession, has been the driving force in Iranian politics for decades. Those who focus on IRGC backgrounds in the Supreme National Security Council may also overlook that recent secretaries — Shamkhani, Larijani and Ahmadian — all had IRGC backgrounds.”
“The system today is more radicalized and decentralized,” Citrinowicz agreed. “It’s not one person. It’s multiple actors you need to coordinate with, which makes it much harder to negotiate.”
“I’m not saying it’s impossible, because this is still the Middle East, but it will be very difficult to reach an agreement with them, let alone one that reflects the same demands the U.S. was making before the war. There is no way they are going to agree to that,” he added.
Citrinowicz said the regime sees themselves as prevailing. “From Iran’s perspective, they are winning, not losing. They are using their strategic capabilities and effectively threatening a choke point in the global economy, namely the Strait of Hormuz. That only reinforces the radicalization taking place inside the regime. Under those conditions, they will be the ones making demands of Trump, not the other way around.”
Even if talks were to take place, he said, Ghalibaf would not be able to commit Iran without broader approval.
Tiger Woods‘ mugshot was released Friday night, hours after he was arrested on a DUI charge following a car crash in Florida.
Woods’ eyes appeared bloodshot, as he donned a blue polo inside the Martin County Jail in Florida.
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek confirmed in a press conference that Woods was traveling at “a high rate of speed” when his vehicle collided with another car, resulting in his vehicle rolling over onto the driver’s side.
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Authorities said Woods “exemplified signs of impairment.” He blew “triple-zeroes” for alcohol but refused a urine test.
“DUI investigators came to the scene here, and Mr. Woods did exemplify signs of impairment. They did several tests on him. Of course, he did explain the injuries and the surgeries that he had. We did take that into account, but they did do some in-depth roadside tests,” Budensiek added.
“We really weren’t suspicious of alcohol being involved in this case, and that proved to be true at the jail. … But when it came time for us to ask for a urinalysis test, he refused. And, so, he’s been charged with DUI, with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.”
Woods was spotted on the phone after the crash, wearing navy blue shorts.
Woods was charged with DUI, property damage and refusal to submit to a test, all misdemeanor charges. No one was injured, authorities said. Woods was alone in the car and crawled out of the passenger door after the crash.
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“This could’ve been a lot worse,” Budensiek noted.
President Donald Trump to the arrest of his “very close friend.”
“I feel so badly. He’s got some difficulty,” Trump said. “There was an accident, and that’s all I know. Very close friend of mine. He’s an amazing person, an amazing man, but some difficulty.”
Woods has not commented on the arrest.
Woods currently is dating Trump’s ex-daughter-in-law, Vanessa, whose daughter, Kai, is set to play college golf in Miami next week.
This is Woods’ second DUI arrest within the last decade. In 2017, he was taken into custody, also in Jupiter Island, after taking prescription drugs and being asleep behind the wheel of a running car at 3 a.m.
In 2021, he got into a wreck that resulted in serious leg injuries that kept him off the golf course for the entire year.
Woods made his return to competitive golf earlier this week in the TGL championship after rupturing his Achilles just before last year’s Masters (this year’s tournament is in less than two weeks). Woods has not appeared on the links since the 2024 PGA Championship, in which he missed the cut.
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Controversial “looksmaxxing” online influencer “Clavicular” has been arrested on a warrant for alleged battery and one suspect remains at large, according to Florida officials.
Braden Peters, a popular influencer and streamer known for his “looksmaxxing” content, was arrested Thursday in Broward County by the Fort Lauderdale Police Department on a warrant from Osceola County.
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Osceola County deputies responded to an Airbnb near Kissimmee in reference to an alleged battery Feb. 2, according to a statement from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office sent to Fox News Digital.
Upon arrival, an unnamed 19-year-old woman reported she was allegedly battered by 24-year-old Violet Marie Lentz, who is reportedly Peters’ girlfriend.
Detectives determined that Peters allegedly instigated the fight and posted a video of the interaction on social media to “exploit the two women,” the statement said.
Officials say the Airbnb where the incident occurred was rented by Peters. Neither Peters nor Lentz came out of the home to speak with deputies during the February incident, the sheriff’s statement said.
A warrant was then issued for Peters for misdemeanor battery and criminal conspiracy to commit battery, and a warrant was issued for Lentz for misdemeanor battery. Peters was held on a $1,000 bond.
Officials are still searching for Lentz and the warrant for battery remains active, according to the sheriff’s statement.
Peters is also reportedly under investigation by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) after a video of him appearing to shoot a dead alligator in the Everglades surfaced online.
Clips of the video are widely circulating on social media platforms. One of the clips, analyzed by Fox News Digital, appears to show Peters and three other men on a small boat riding through the Everglades.
The boat then stops in front of what appears to be a dead alligator.
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“Should we shoot it?” said one of the men on the boat in the clip.
“Is it dead?” Peters appears to ask in response.
“Let’s just test really how dead it is,” Peters appears to say in the clip.
The men then appear to shoot at the animal in the water.
The FWC said it was “aware of a video depicting individuals in the Everglades on an airboat who appear to be discharging firearms at an alligator,” in a statement Thursday.
The organization said officers are investigating the incident and will provide more information when available.
The FWC did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
President Donald Trump on Friday signaled a shift away from the war with Iran after apparent positive negotiations this week and the administration’s capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, saying “Cuba is next.”
While speaking in Florida at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute Summit at the Faena Forum in Miami Beach, Trump said even though he campaigned on peace through strength, sometimes force is necessary.
“And Cuba is next, by the way. But pretend I didn’t say that,” Trump said. “Please, please, please media, please disregard that statement. Thank you very much — Cuba’s next.”
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He added that he thought NATO’s absence in negotiations with Iran was a “tremendous mistake.”
“They just weren’t there,” he said. “It’s going to make a lot of money for the United States because we spent hundreds of billions of dollars a year on NATO, hundreds of protecting them. And we would have always been there for them. But now, based on their actions, I guess we don’t have to be, do we?”
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The president talked about the Strait of Hormuz, which he pressured NATO to help the U.S. reopen.
“We’re negotiating [with Iran] now, and it would be great if we could do something, but they have to open it up,” he said. “They have to open up the Strait of Trump — I mean, Hormuz. … The fake news will say he accidentally said [that]. No, there’s no accidents with me.”
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Previously, when asked about control of the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said the U.S. will “have control of anything we want.”
The Iranian regime has imposed multimillion-dollar charges on some tankers transiting the critical global shipping choke point, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil supply flows.
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