Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf Height, Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography » StarsUnfolded

During the student protests of July 1999, Ghalibaf was among 23 other IRGC commanders who signed a letter warning President Khatami that the military would interfere if the government did not stamp out the movement. The violence resulted in many dead, hundreds wounded and thousands arrested. In a leaked 2013 audio recording, Ghalibaf confessed to personally lashing out protesters with wooden sticks from the back of a motorbike and pride in his doing so.

2003 Student Protests

As Chief of the National Police in 2003, Ghalibaf overruled the protocols of the National Security Council when he ordered gunfire against student protesters at Tehran University. He gave permission for the police to enter university dormitories and shoot at protesters, as he himself admitted in the same 2013 leaked recording.

2009 Green Movement

As Mayor of Tehran in the 2009 Green Movement, Ghalibaf’s government helped provide logistical support for the security crackdown. His office later stated that he ranked third among the government institutions in responding to the protests and he justified the use of force as necessary. 2014 Financial Irregularities The municipality paid 60 billion tomans for aid and granted land that totaled more than 80,000 square metres to the Imam Reza Charity, which Ghalibaf’s wife owns. The municipality kept their 47 secret bank accounts. The judiciary had a debt of 229.7 billion tomans to the municipality and did not pay it back.

Municipal Property Scandal

In the paper Shargh, published in September 2016, the transfer of municipal properties to city managers at heavily discounted price is reported. The Memari News website published a letter of the General Inspectorate naming people who got discounts. Ghalibaf and Chamran sued the editor of the website, who then went to prison. The properties covered over one hundred thousand square metres.

Bribe to Block Parliamentary Investigation

In March 2016, a plan by the parliament to investigate Tehran Municipality failed to garner sufficient votes. Ghalibaf publicly appreciated the parliamentarians for the rejection of the investigation. In July 2020, MP Mostafa Mirsalim disclosed the information about a bribe of 65 billion tomans that halted the investigation. He said the bribe went to the head of a parliamentary commission and submitted documents to the judiciary.

Fictitious Contract for Election Funds

On 15 January 2017, former mayor Najafi said Ghalibaf has signed two contracts of 1.43 billion tomans. The company concerned has received only 173 million tomans. The rest went to an account attached to a former deputy mayor’s office and later for election purposes The person concerned on the account admitted in writing that only 20 million tomans was his.

Yas Holding Company

In 2017, the Yas Holding Company, part of which is composed of generals of the IRGC, was accused of embezzling 13 trillion tomans from the Tehran Municipality through inflated infrastructure projects. In early 2022, Radio Farda published an audio recording leaked by two ex-generals of the IRGC, discussing the case. The recording indicated that Ghalibaf used his IRGC connections and enlisted the head of IRGC Intelligence, Hossein Taeb, to cover up the scandal.

Issa Sharifi Case

Issa Sharifi had worked as Ghalibaf’s deputy mayor for 10 years and twice as mayor during Ghalibaf’s run for president. After corruption allegations came to the surface, Sharifi fled the country. Authorities arrested him on his return in connection with serious financial corruption while in office.

LayetteGate and Istanbul Apartments

In April 2022, pictures emerged on Twitter of Ghalibaf’s wife and family returning from Turkey with 20 pieces of luggage, supposedly a layette for their newborn child. Critics called for Ghalibaf to resign as Speaker of Parliament, citing his comments during a campaign last year in which he criticised a minister for spending money on baby clothes in another country. An Iranian journalist based in Turkey would later claim that Ghalibaf’s wife, daughter and son-in-law bought two 1.6 million US dollar luxury apartments in Istanbul.

Son’s Application for Canadian Residency

Ghalibaf’s son Eshagh made repeated enquiries to obtain Canadian permanent residency claiming 150,000 US dollars in available funds. Iranians signed a petition requesting Canada not to grant him a visa. In February 2024, Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller refused Eshagh’s application, citing Iran’s acts of terrorism and human rights violations.

2025-2026 Iranian Protests

As Speaker of Parliament, Ghalibaf had a prominent role in the state reaction to protests that began in late December 2025. Human rights groups stated that the process became a massacre and led to more than 12,000 deaths. The Supreme National Security Council of which Ghalibaf was a member issued the order for live fire. Authorities used deadly force and shut down the internet across the country and arrested tens of thousands. Ghalibaf referred to protesters as seditionists, and called what they were doing terrorism and that Iran’s enemies employed ISIS-style techniques. International bodies had called for independent investigations. Iranian authorities, including Ghalibaf, denied systematic abuses.