Russian Security Council deputy chairman Dmitry Medvedev said on July 4, after
attending a public farewell for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Khamenei, that
although Iran does not possess nuclear weapons it has found a weapon comparable
to them in the Strait of Hormuz and another, which he called a "thermonuclear"
card, in the Bab al‑Mandeb. He warned that in a military conflict those straits
could be closed, disrupting oil and other shipping, and said he hoped the
situation would not escalate but urged countries seeking to provoke conflict in
the region to take note.
