Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has turned down American proposals for a ceasefire, according to a high-ranking Iranian official speaking on Tuesday.
The official informed Reuters that these offers reached Tehran via two intermediary nations.
However, the Supreme Leader believes the current moment is unsuitable for peace, maintaining that no settlement will be entertained until the United States and Israel have been “brought to their knees,” admitted defeat, and provided reparations.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has echoed this firm stance, informing CBS News that Iran has not pursued negotiations or ceasefire talks regarding the ongoing conflict.
“We are ready to defend ourselves as long as it takes,” Araghchi stated, adding that the nation’s defensive efforts will continue.
Araghchi also used social media to dismiss reports from Axios suggesting he had been in dialogue with Steve Witkoff, the US Middle East Envoy, to conclude the war.
Writing on X, the minister clarified that his final communication with Witkoff preceded Washington’s “illegal military attack” on Iran, an action he claimed effectively “killed diplomacy”. He characterised reports of ongoing contact as attempts to manipulate oil traders and the public.
From the American perspective, Axios cited a US official who stated that President Donald Trump remains open to reaching an agreement. However, the official emphasised that Washington refuses to negotiate from a “position of weakness”.
The official further suggested that the United States could support a framework that allows Iran to reintegrate into the international economy and resume global oil exports, provided a consensus is reached.
