Rift in the Islamic Republic: Kayhan attacks Ghalibaf's role in talks with the US

Hossein Shariatmadari, managing editor of the hardline newspaper Kayhan, questioned in a column on Wednesday 7 October 2026 the role of Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of parliament, as the regime's chief negotiator with the United States. According to Iran International, he wrote that handing this responsibility to Ghalibaf had effectively put parliament out of action for seven months.

Shariatmadari demanded that officials explain why a central institution had been left almost idle in wartime. He also argued that heading parliament and heading the negotiating team are incompatible, because parliament must oversee the negotiating team, leaving Ghalibaf both the overseer and the one being overseen.

A decision taken with Khamenei's approval

Kayhan did not mention Ali Khamenei in the column, but Iran International recalled that Ghalibaf's appointment as head of the negotiating team had been made with Khamenei's own approval. Mahmoud Nabavian, a hardline member of parliament, said on 10 April that the choice had been made with Khamenei's opinion and coordination. Ghalibaf himself had said he did not volunteer for the role and that the negotiations had proceeded with Khamenei's permission. Khamenei was killed in US and Israeli strikes at the start of the war.

Ghalibaf has led the Islamic Republic's delegation in talks with Washington since the negotiations began in Islamabad in April. This is not the first public clash between the two: in August Shariatmadari also clashed with him over Ghalibaf's support for the talks, and Ghalibaf replied that the regime should negotiate where necessary and fight where necessary.

Kayhan is now questioning a decision that, according to regime officials, was taken with Khamenei's own approval.

Deadlocked talks and factional feuding

The column was published as negotiations between the Islamic Republic and the United States have effectively stalled. Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday 6 October that talks are meaningless as long as the US naval blockade continues. Kayhan has also called for the regime's immediate and complete withdrawal from diplomatic channels mediated by Qatar.

At the same time, US officials, including Vice President JD Vance, openly say it is unclear who makes decisions in the Islamic Republic. The public feud between Kayhan and the speaker of parliament over the very principle of negotiating paints a picture of a regime that, after seven months of war, cannot even agree on its own strategy.

Sources

• Iran International