What has Khamenei said about Iran’s stance in talks with US?

As diplomatic efforts to end the US-Israel war on Iran appear to gather pace, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has signalled that Tehran will not soften its terms for ending the conflict.

In a meeting on Tuesday with Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Khamenei “placed a premium on the need to secure Iran’s conditions for ending the war and the state of ‘neither war nor peace’,” according to Press TV, Iran’s government-funded English-language broadcaster. He also called for protecting the rights and interests of the Iranian people and of the so-called “axis of resistance”, the network of armed groups allied with Tehran.

The two men also discussed “safeguarding national and regional security by maintaining control over the Strait of Hormuz,” according to IRNA, the official Iranian news agency, as well as strengthening ties with neighbouring countries.

On Wednesday, President Masoud Pezeshkian said the supreme leader’s directive carried a significant message and set the strategic course for the country, Press TV reported.

He said his government would work diligently to achieve the goals laid out by Khamenei, and urged state agencies to remain ready to act as circumstances evolve, reports AL Jazeera.