Gentlemen, it is my duty to bring to your attention a matter of the utmost gravity concerning the stability of our global trade and the security of the Empire. Mr. Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council, has observed a most peculiar and potent instrument of power held by the Persians—one that rivals the destructive capacity of the most advanced armaments.

It appears that Tehran, in lieu of conventional nuclear weaponry, has discovered a strategic advantage no less formidable: the control of the Strait of Hormuz. This geographical choke point is now the pivot upon which diplomatic negotiations turn, as nations seek a prudent understanding regarding its continued operation. Such matters are not merely academic; they touch upon the very arteries of international industry.

However, there exists a weapon even more devastating—a veritable 'thermonuclear' device of geography—namely, the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. Should this passage, situated between the coasts of Djibouti and Eritrea upon one side and Yemen upon the other, be shuttered by the Houthis, the consequences would be catastrophic. The entirety of oil shipments and mercantile transport would be effectively imprisoned, strangling the flow of commerce.

As a man of industry and a servant of the State, I must emphasize that the preservation of these trade routes is a matter of supreme state utility. While it is our fervent hope that such extremities are avoided, those powers who flirt with conflict in the region must exercise the utmost prudence and moderation. To jeopardize the stability of the seas is to invite a calamity that no amount of retrospective regret can remedy.

Indeed, the warnings from Tehran have been explicit: should provocations persist, these two strategic gateways shall be utilized to exert a crushing pressure upon the economic life of their adversaries. We must remain vigilant, for the strength of our Fatherland and the prosperity of our industry depend upon the steady hand of diplomacy and the unwavering security of our global interests.