Shafaq News- Tehran

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has rejected ceasefire proposals with the United States, a senior Iranian official said on Tuesday.

The proposals were delivered through two intermediary countries. However, the official told Reuters that Khamenei does not consider this the “right time for peace” until the United States and Israel are “brought to their knees,” accept defeat, and pay compensation.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier said Tehran has not sought ceasefire talks or negotiations in the ongoing war with the United States and Israel. “We are ready to defend ourselves as long as it takes,” he told CBS News. “We will continue to do so.”

Meanwhile, Axios cited a US official as saying President Donald Trump is willing to reach an agreement but will not negotiate from a position of weakness, adding that Washington could support a framework allowing Iran to reintegrate into the global economy and benefit from oil exports.

Araghchi, according to Axios, had also been in contact with US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff to end the war, a claim the Iranian minister rejected. “My last contact with Mr. Witkoff was before his employer’s decision to kill diplomacy with another illegal military attack on Iran,” Araghchi posted on X, adding that claims of ongoing contact aim to mislead oil traders and the public.