Iran’s Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who has emerged as a figurehead since the start of the Middle East war, says the United States’ naval blockade of the country aims to create division and “make us collapse from within”, AFP reports.

He says US President Donald Trump “divides the country into two groups: hardliners and moderates, and then immediately talks about a naval blockade to force Iran into submission through economic pressure and internal discord”, according to state TV.

“The enemy has entered a new phase and wants to activate economic pressure and internal division through naval blockade and media hype to weaken or even make us collapse from within,” Ghalibaf adds, calling for “maintaining unity” as the only solution.