Ahmad Motahhari Asl, Friday Prayer Imam of Tabriz, said in his Friday sermon in the city: “The Strait of Hormuz is completely in our hands, and we use its economic and geopolitical benefits to push Trump to back down in the region, and we will also soon see the destruction of Israel.”

He added: “The Islamic Republic will under no circumstances give up the Strait of Hormuz; the armed forces are fully prepared, and Iran uses its economic and geopolitical interests in this strait.”