Iran’s new supreme leader rejects de-escalation proposals conveyed by intermediaries, official says: Reuters exclusive

Women hold posters of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei during a campaign in support of the government at the Enqelab-e-Eslami, or Islamic Revolution, square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iran’s new supreme leader has rejected de-escalation proposals conveyed to Tehran by intermediaries, demanding Israel and the U.S. first be “brought to their knees,” a senior Iranian official said on Tuesday.

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei had held his first foreign policy session since being named supreme leader, and had taken a stance for revenge against the U.S. and Israel that was “very tough and serious”, the official said, without clarifying whether the leader attended in person or remotely.

The senior official, who asked not to be identified, said two intermediary countries had conveyed proposals to Iran’s Foreign Ministry for “reducing tensions or ceasefire with the United States.” The official did not give further details of the proposals or the intermediaries.

The supreme leader had responded that it was not “the right time for peace until the United States and Israel are brought to their knees, accept defeat, and pay compensation.”

The supreme leader has the final say in all matters of state in the Islamic Republic. No new images have been released of him since his selection over a week ago by a clerical assembly to replace his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Some Iranian officials have said he was lightly injured in the strikes that killed his father. U.S. officials have suggested he suffered severe injuries.

The U.S.-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 U.S. allies rebuffing U.S. President Donald Trump’s request for help to reopen the critical waterway, raising energy prices and fears of inflation.

In his first public message since selected, which was ​read out by ​a state TV broadcaster last week, the new supreme leader said the Strait of Hormuz should ​remain closed as ​a tool of pressure on “Iran’s enemies.”

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

Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Aidan Lewis, Hugh Lawson, Peter Graff