Exclusive-Iran's new supreme leader rejects proposals for reducing tensions with US, senior official says

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has rejected proposals for reducing tensions or for a ceasefire with the United States that were conveyed to Tehran by two intermediary countries, a senior Iranian official said on Tuesday.

Khamenei's stance for revenge against the U.S. and Israel was “very tough and serious” in his first foreign policy session, the official said, without clarifying whether the leader attended in person.

The problem is stark: is Mojtaba Khamenei even alive? He has not been seen publicly since his appointment as Supreme Leader. The silence is deafening, and the uncertainties it creates are profound."