Ben Shapiro Slams Planned Photo Op Between JD Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf

BOCA RATON (VINnews)-Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro sharply criticized a planned photo opportunity between U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, questioning why the meeting has received little attention from other voices in the media and political spheres.

The ceremony, tied to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran, is scheduled for Friday in Switzerland, according to reports. Shapiro described the event as a “horrible idea,” arguing that it would feature a high-profile handshake with a figure closely linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Iranian regime’s repressive apparatus.

“What we are learning right now is that that would in fact include the Iranian parliamentary leader, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf — IRGC stand-in — and the vice president, JD Vance. I think that’s a horrible idea,” Shapiro said. He suggested that any temporary ceasefire could be handled through less symbolic means, such as DocuSign, to avoid legitimizing regime figures.

Ghalibaf, a hardliner and former commander in Iran’s IRGC aerospace forces, has repeatedly voiced support for terrorist groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon. He has praised the group’s attacks on Israel and described Hezbollah as the “pride of Islam.”

Critics also point to Ghalibaf’s role in the regime’s brutal crackdowns on Iranian civilians. Reports link him to decisions resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of Iranians during protests, with some estimates citing around 42,000 civilian deaths in major suppression campaigns.

Shapiro highlighted the optics of the Trump administration associating with such a figure, noting it could be seen as a “visual slap in the face to the tens of thousands of Iranians who died at the hands of [Ghalibaf’s] friends” and tying the U.S. to the future of the Iranian regime.

The planned meeting comes amid ongoing regional tensions, including ceasefire discussions involving Iran, Israel, and Lebanon. Shapiro’s comments have sparked discussion on social media, with many questioning the broader implications of high-level U.S. engagement with senior Iranian officials.