Ankara / Anatolia

Ali Akbar Velayati, advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader, said Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz belongs to his country and no power in the world can wrest it from its sovereignty.

Iran's state TV quoted Velayati as saying that the Strait of Hormuz, which the United States has made a top target, is part of Iran.

He added: 'The Strait of Hormuz belongs to Iran, and no power in the world can wrest it from Iranian sovereignty.'

He continued: 'This strait became part of Iranian sovereignty thanks to the brave and wise guidance of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, as one of the great achievements of the war that lasted 40 days.'

The Strait of Hormuz is witnessing a naval conflict and escalating security tensions between Iran on one side and the United States on the other.

On June 18 last year, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding that included a ceasefire and began negotiations mediated by Pakistan and Qatar to end the war launched by the United States and Israel on Iran on February 28 last year.

However, US President Donald Trump announced on July 8 that the ceasefire had ended due to renewed escalation, after Iran had attacked three ships the day before while they were transiting the Strait of Hormuz, claiming they had not adhered to the navigation route it had set, prompting Washington to retaliate with strikes on sites inside Iran.

Washington supports the passage of commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz on a different route than the one set by Iran, which Tehran rejects, insisting that it will target any ship that does not coordinate with it before crossing the strategic strait for global energy supplies.