Iranian Parliament Speaker Resigns Over IRGC Interference

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[Financial News] As the power struggle between moderates and hard-liners in Iran intensifies, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Speaker of the Parliament of Iran who had led talks with the USA, has stepped down from his role as chief negotiator, Keshet 12 reported on the 23rd local time.
According to the report, Ghalibaf had overseen negotiations and coordination with the USA, which had been conducted with Pakistan's mediation. He recently decided to give up that role. The decisive factor behind his resignation was reportedly the excessive involvement and interference of senior officers in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran's elite military force.
Ghalibaf had pursued a pragmatic line aimed at easing economic sanctions through dialogue with the West. However, his influence appears to have weakened as hard-line military figures repeatedly blocked the negotiation process.
The point at which tensions between the two sides reportedly erupted was a reciprocal transit proposal put forward by Qatar to ease tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.
The proposal was a barter-style confidence-building measure that would have allowed 20 Iranian vessels and 20 vessels from ports in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf to pass freely through the Strait of Hormuz.
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Ghalibaf's resignation is expected to have significant repercussions for Iran's foreign policy. In particular, the voices of moderate pragmatists in Iran who had been seeking behind-the-scenes contact with the Trump administration are likely to be further weakened.
Experts warned that "as Iran's leadership fails to settle on a unified position and instead engages in internal power struggles, denuclearization and peace talks with the USA could become even more mired in uncertainty."
Meanwhile, the Iranian government has not yet issued an official statement on the resignation, and political confusion inside Tehran is expected to continue for the time being.
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jjyoon@fnnews.com Yoon Jae-jun Reporter