TEHRAN - A senior Iranian lawmaker has warned the United States against the continuation of Iran’s naval blockade, stressing that Tehran has “the upper hand” and is yet to reveal its “new cards.”

“Iran holds the upper hand in the battle against the United States and Israel, and analysts across the United States, Europe, and beyond are well aware of it. They have warned Trump that he has already lost this war,” Alaeddin Boroujerdi, deputy chairman of Parliament's National Security Committee, told Tasnim News Agency.

The US and Israel launched a joint war on Iran on February 28. A two-week ceasefire, mediated by Pakistan, halted the war on April 8, but Washington-Tehran negotiations in Islamabad on April 11 failed to reach a deal due to what Iran calls Washington’s excessive demands. In mid-April, Trump ordered a naval blockade of Iranian ports to force Iran to acquiesce to his demands, but to no avail.

The US military also seized the Iranian commercial vessel Touska in the Gulf of Oman on April 19, detaining its crew.

Boroujerdi condemned such US moves as “maritime piracy” and a “desperate ploy with no real impact.”

The lawmaker highlighted the importance of Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz, warning the US about the potential implications involving the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

“We still haven’t revealed our next cards. Bab al-Mandab is just as important as the Strait of Hormuz, and the Yemenis are waiting for the right moment to close the strait and deliver another blow to the United States.”

Iran has restricted transit through the Strait of Hormuz to hostile parties since the US and Israel launched the war two months ago.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Ansarullah has condemned the US’s “piracy” in the Gulf of Oman, saying that attacks on Iranian commercial vessels and the detention of their crews violate international law.

In a statement, the movement warned that “Yemen is not neutral regarding the ongoing attacks against Iran, Lebanon, and Palestine,” adding that its position remains “clear, public, and explicit in this regard.”

Ansarullah has already warned that it could close down the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which leads to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, if the conflict continues.