TEHRAN, Iran — Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has formed a political party in the hopes of having his supporters win seats in the February parliamentary elections.

Ghalibaf started his career in fatigues during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War, when he led a division. After the war, he gradually took steps toward political power. In 1997, the year Reformist Mohammad Khatami was elected president, he was appointed as head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Aerospace Force.

Following the 1999 student protests in Tehran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed Ghalibaf as the new chief of Iran’s police. This was a major turning point in Ghalibaf’s career, as he initiated reforms aimed at modernization. These measures included the ”Police 110” project, which sought to make the police more accessible to the general public, and the replacement of old cars with new Mercedes vehicles, giving a fresh face to the Iranian police.

As the 2005 presidential election was approaching, Ghalibaf sought to portray himself as a moderate and reform-minded person, with an eye on the votes of younger voters. After announcing his candidacy, Ghalibaf spoke about policies such as the detente with the world, which was already being pursued by Khatami. He even accompanied Reformists in attacks on Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, who was considered an enemy of the Reformists back then.