US media: The Trump administration is assessing the possibility of supporting the Iranian parliament speaker to take power.

The Trump administration is quietly assessing Iranian Parliament Speaker Ayatollah Ghalibaf as a potential partner, or even a future leader of Iran, marking a shift in Trump's strategy from military pressure to ending the war through negotiations. The 64-year-old Ghalibaf has repeatedly threatened retaliation against the United States and its allies, but according to two administration officials, at least some within the White House consider him a viable partner to lead Iran and negotiate with the Trump administration in the next phase of the war. "He's a good option," one official said, but emphasized that no decision has been made. "He's one of the highest-ranking candidates. But we have to test them; we can't rush things." Ghalibaf denied any negotiations with the United States on Monday, but administration officials dismissed his comments as domestic political posturing. "We're in a testing phase, trying to figure out who can come up, who wants to come up, and who's trying to come up," the official said. "When someone rises up, we'll test them quickly, and if they're too aggressive, we'll get rid of them." (Politico)