TEHRAN, May 10. /TASS/. Iran fully controls the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, which makes it a new superpower, Iranian Parliament Deputy Speaker Haji Babaei said.

"Today, the Strait of Hormuz fully belongs to the great people of Iran, and no vessel or oil tanker will pass through it without the permission of the Islamic Republic," Iran’s state broadcaster quoted him as saying.

Babaei added that Iran had now become "the fourth superpower.".