Israel said on Tuesday it had killed Iran’s top security official Ali Larijani in an air strike, while Tehran signalled it was rejecting ceasefire overtures conveyed through intermediaries.

A senior Iranian official was quoted by Reuters as saying the country’s new supreme leader had insisted that Israel and the United States must first be “brought to their knees” before any de-escalation could be considered.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Larijani and Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij volunteer militia, were among senior figures targeted in the latest strikes. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he had ordered “the elimination of senior officials of the Iranian regime”. 

Iran did not immediately confirm Larijani’s death.

The Iranian official said two countries had passed proposals to Tehran’s foreign ministry aimed at reducing tensions or securing a ceasefire with the United States, but that the response from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was that this was not the time for peace. 

According to the official, Khamenei’s first foreign policy deliberations since taking office produced a “very tough and serious” position centred on retaliation and compensation demands from Washington and Tel Aviv.

The latest developments come as the Strait of Hormuz remains heavily disrupted, with global concern over energy flows through the strategic waterway. 

Reports also indicated that a US naval vessel carrying around 2,000 Marines was moving through Singapore towards the wider region, underscoring growing military mobilisation as Washington seeks to reinforce its posture while allies remain reluctant to join efforts to reopen the shipping corridor.