Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has said that the US and Israel must be 'brought to their knees' and accept defeat before any peace deal to end the war can be achieved.

The new ayatollah has still not been seen in public since his appointment following the assassination of his father on February 28 during joint US and Israeli air strikes in Tehran.

According to a senior Iranian official, Khamenei rejected proposals for reducing tensions or for a ceasefire with Washington, that were conveyed to Tehran by two intermediary countries.

The new ayatollah's appetite for revenge against the US and Israel was 'very tough and serious' in his first foreign policy session, an official told Reuters, without clarifying whether the leader attended the session in person. 

The war on Iran is in its third week with at least 2,000 people dead and no end in sight, with Gulf states hosting US military bases and personnel, as well as Lebanon, being ?drawn into the conflict.

The Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed off, with European 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 March 14 that Trump's administration has rebuffed efforts by Middle Eastern allies to start diplomatic negotiations aimed at ending the Iran war.

Reports indicate that the 56-year-old supreme leader was flown to Moscow for treatment of 'serious' injuries following an airstrike.

A source in Tehran said he had been in a coma in Sina University Hospital, and, due to his condition, did not know of the ongoing war, the death of his family members - including his wife and son - and of his own election as supreme leader.

As more time passes without a public appearance, rumours have circulated that the hardline cleric has lost his leg or may even be dead.

Khamenei's silence offers a stark contrast to his father's fiery 'never surrender' video messages during the June 2025 twelve-day war.

His first statement as leader was read out by a news anchor on state TV last week, during which he said that his government would 'not forgo avenging the blood' of citizens killed.

He vowed that Tehran would keep the Strait of Hormuz closed to international shipping - cutting off the supply of a fifth of the world's oil - and added that Iran's retaliation so far represented only 'a limited portion' of what was to come.

While he believes in maintaining a friendship with Iran's Gulf neighbours, he announced attacks on US bases in the region will continue.