Wednesday, March, 18 2026 - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has declared 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 in 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 declining 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 de@th of his family members including his wife and son and of his own
election as supreme leader.
0 Comments