Israel, US first be ‘brought to their knees’: Mojtaba Khamenei on ‘right time for peace’ as Iran's Larijani gets killed

Israel said on Tuesday that it had eliminated Iran’s security chief Ali Larijan, while a senior Iranian official revealed that the country’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei had turned down proposals aimed at easing tensions that were passed on through intermediaries, insisting that Israel and the United States must first be “brought to their knees”, according to Reuters.

The unnamed official stated that two intermediary nations had forwarded suggestions to Iran’s Foreign Ministry regarding "reducing tensions or ceasefire with the United States", but did not provide additional details.

The official noted, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, during his first foreign policy meeting since assuming leadership, 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".

The official also did not specify whether Khamenei, who has not been publicly seen since taking over from his late father last week, participated in the meeting in person or via remote means.

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said that Israeli forces had killed Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani, along with Gholamreza Soleimani, who headed the volunteer Basij militia, an organisation that plays a significant role in maintaining domestic security.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel’s actions were aimed at weakening Iran’s leadership, which he said could create an opportunity for the Iranian public to rise up and overthrow the government.

"It won't happen in one go, it won't happen easily. But if we persist - we will provide them with the opportunity to take their destiny into their own hands," he mentioned.

There was no immediate reaction from Tehran to Israel’s assertion that Ali Larijani had been killed. Iranian state media instead released a handwritten message attributed to Larijani honouring Iranian sailors who died in a US attack, whose funeral was scheduled for Tuesday.

As secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Larijani would be the highest-ranking official targeted since Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed on the opening day of the US–Israeli airstrikes on February 28.

Following Khamenei’s death, Larijani had emerged as one of the most influential figures in the Islamic Republic, having held several key positions and maintained close ties with the late leader. He was also known for his relatively pragmatic approach in dealing with the country’s often competing political factions.

The US-Israeli conflict with Iran has entered its third week, with the death toll rising to at least 2,000 and no clear signs of de-escalation.

The Strait of Hormuz continues to remain largely shut, while several US allies have declined President Donald Trump’s requests to assist in reopening the crucial maritime route, which handles nearly 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.

Meanwhile, oil prices climbed by around 2% on Tuesday after Iran resumed attacks on energy facilities in the United Arab Emirates, and have surged by roughly 45% since the conflict began, fuelling fears of another wave of global inflation.