Ahmad Alamolhoda, firebrand Friday prayer leader of the religious city of Mashhad, said the United States would suffer greater losses if fighting resumes, adding that Iran’s forces were better prepared than at the start of the war.
“If America wants to continue the war, it will certainly suffer a greater defeat,” Alamolhoda said.
“We were somewhat caught off guard at the start of the war, but now our fighters are more prepared.”
Alamolhoda also said US air defense systems failed to intercept Iranian missiles and argued the conflict had damaged Washington’s standing as a global power.