Iran's new supreme leader wants to continue fight until ‘US, Israel brought to knees’

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has rejected proposals for reducing tensions or for a ceasefire with the United States that were conveyed to Tehran by two intermediary countries, a senior Iranian official said on Tuesday.

Khamenei's stance for revenge against the US and Israel was “very tough and serious” in his first foreign policy session, the official said, without clarifying whether the leader attended the session in person.

The US-Israeli war on Iran is in its third week with at least 2,000 people dead and no end in sight. The Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed off, with US allies rebuffing US President Donald Trump's request for help to reopen the critical waterway, raising energy prices and fears of inflation.

The senior official, who asked not to be named, said the supreme leader had said it was not "the right time for peace until the United States and Israel are brought to their knees, accept defeat, and pay compensation”.

Three sources told Reuters on 14 March that Trump's administration has rebuffed efforts by Middle Eastern allies to start diplomatic negotiations aimed at ending the Iran war.