March 17 (Reuters) – Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has rejected offers from two intermediaries to Tehran to ease tensions or cease fire with the United States, a senior Iranian official said on Tuesday.
The official said Khamenei’s stance on retaliation against the United States and Israel was “very tough and serious” at his first foreign policy meeting, but did not clarify whether the leader attended the meeting in person.
The U.S.-Israeli war against Iran has entered its third week, leaving at least 2,000 dead, with no end in sight. The Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed, with U.S. allies rebuffing U.S. President Donald Trump’s pleas for help reopening the critical waterway, leading to higher energy prices and concerns about inflation.
The senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the supreme leader had said “now is not the best time for peace until the United States and Israel capitulate, accept defeat and pay reparations.”
The Trump administration has rejected efforts by Middle East allies to launch diplomatic talks to end the war with Iran, three sources told Reuters on March 14.
(Writing by Parisa Hafeez; Editing by Aidan Lewis and Hugh Lawson)
