Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has declared that the United States and Israel must be brought to defeat before any peace agreement can be reached, signaling a hardline stance that threatens to prolong the ongoing conflict.
Khamenei, who assumed leadership after his father was killed in joint US and Israeli airstrikes on February 28 in Tehran, has yet to appear in public since his appointment. According to a senior Iranian official, the new ayatollah rejected recent proposals aimed at reducing tensions or establishing a ceasefire with Washington, which had been relayed to Tehran through two intermediary countries.
In what one official described as his first foreign policy session, Khamenei’s appetite for retaliation against the US and Israel was described as serious and uncompromising. It remains unclear whether he attended this session in person.
The war in Iran is now entering its third week, with at least 2,000 people reported dead and no clear end in sight. The conflict has drawn in regional actors, with Gulf states hosting US military personnel and Lebanon increasingly involved. Meanwhile, the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial artery for global oil shipments, remains largely closed, prompting sharp increases in energy prices and stoking fears of wider economic disruption. European nations have declined US requests to intervene in reopening the waterway.
The senior official said Khamenei emphasized that peace is not possible until the United States and Israel acknowledge defeat and provide compensation. These statements mark a stark departure from international efforts to mediate the crisis.
Sources in Washington reported that the Trump administration has rejected overtures from Middle Eastern allies seeking to initiate diplomatic negotiations to end the war.
Further complicating the situation are reports that the 56-year-old supreme leader sustained serious injuries during the airstrike that killed his father. He was reportedly flown to Moscow for treatment. A source in Tehran indicated he had been in a coma at Sina University Hospital and was unaware of the war, the deaths of family members including his wife and son, and his own ascension to supreme leader.
The combination of Khamenei’s uncompromising rhetoric and his uncertain health casts a shadow over prospects for diplomacy. Analysts warn that the ongoing conflict could escalate regionally and have lasting impacts on global energy markets and international security.
