Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2675 The Devil's Choice (Third Update, Please Subscribe)
Official residence, office.

Sitting behind a large teak desk, Li Yi'an leaned back in his swivel chair, an unlit cigar between his fingers, his gaze fixed on the document in front of him.

Actually, this is not a document, but a draft.

In addition to the double star emblem, the cover also features the prominent word "Top Secret".

The only sound in the office was the faint hum of the air conditioner. The contents of the top-secret document flashed through Li Yi'an's mind.

"Stop selling fertilizer components to Iran," "Kick Iran out of the SWIFT international settlement system," "Restrict international seed companies from providing technical support to Iran"... Every suggestion directly targets the fundamental needs of the Iranian people.

Although using food as a weapon was also Li Yi'an's idea, he fell silent upon seeing the draft.

Standing there was Cheng Lixuan, the office director. He had just taken over the position a few months ago and had worked at the official residence for over a decade. He was very familiar with His Excellency's temperament.

He knows that Your Excellency is now pondering this.

So he awaited His Excellency's instructions with utmost respect. He understood the weight of this document—it was not merely a diplomatic decision, but a matter of life and death for countless innocent civilians. However, in his view, any means were necessary to contain the threat posed by the new Iranian regime; so-called moral considerations were utterly insignificant in the face of national interests.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Yi'an finally raised his head, breaking the silence in the room:

"This detailed regulation says that by stopping the supply of fertilizer components, Iran's grain production could be reduced by 50%, is that right?" He tapped the document with his fingertips, looking directly at Cheng Lixuan.

"Yes, Your Excellency, all data has been verified by a specialized department."

Cheng Lixuan immediately nodded in response:

"All the equipment used by fertilizer production companies in Iran was imported from my country. They are not only heavily dependent on foreign countries for equipment, but also for technology. After my country evacuated its citizens from Iran, many companies have already fallen into production difficulties due to technical problems."

With the cessation of equipment spare parts supply, normal wear and tear on the equipment cannot be repaired, leading to a gradual decline in production. It is projected that fertilizer production will drop by approximately 50% within a year.

Then he added:

"Moreover, Iran already had a 20% fertilizer shortage, which it had to fill by importing from the international market. Once our sanctions take effect, coupled with the production decline caused by the disruption of parts supply, its fertilizer shortage will exceed 70%. Such a huge gap will inevitably lead to a significant drop in grain production, which is initially estimated to be more than 50%."

Seeing your furrowed brow, he added:
"We also assessed their response capabilities. After the regime change in Tehran, they opposed not only the West but also the East. Groups supported by Moscow suffered devastating blows, making Moscow hostile towards them as well."

Without the support of either the Eastern or Western world, it would be difficult for them to maintain the production of a modern fertilizer enterprise.

Li Yi'an simply leaned back in his chair, his fingers lightly tapping the table.

“And international seed companies.”

Cheng Lixuan then reported:
"Currently, Iran relies on high-quality seeds and planting technology provided by international seed companies for more than 60% of its major food crops such as wheat and corn."

During the evacuation, the international seed company had already withdrawn its staff from Iran and stopped supplying new high-quality seeds.

This will lead to the gradual degradation of crop seeds in Iran, further reducing yields.

This is the reality that a country heavily reliant on external forces has to face when confronted with an embargo.

Li Yi'an couldn't help but sigh. Over the past few decades, SEA's companies have been deeply involved in various aspects of Iran's development.

At its peak, tens of thousands of SEA engineers and technicians worked there, and they weren't just involved in infrastructure construction. Railway management, airport operations, factory production, and even the most basic seeds were supplied by international seed companies.

Iran's industrial economy has made rapid progress over the past decade or so, largely thanks to this.

And now everything is gone.

"70%..."

Li Yi'an repeated the number in a low voice, then slowly nodded, but didn't continue speaking. Instead, he changed the subject and asked:

Do you know what this means?

Cheng Lixuan took a deep breath and answered in a heavy but clear tone:
"This means that Iran's food supply will face a severe shortage. First, prices will skyrocket, and food prices may multiply several times in a short period of time;"
The black market will hoard large quantities of food, further exacerbating market shortages;
Ultimately, many ordinary people will go hungry, and a large-scale famine will unfold across Iran.

He paused for a moment and said:

"This is exactly what we need to achieve."

"Yes, our goal is to use food as a weapon, and that means famine..."

Li Yi'an's voice sounded like he was talking to himself, yet also like he was speaking to Cheng Lixuan.

At that moment, a saying he had once read came to mind—a 30% food shortage wouldn't result in a 30% increase in food prices, allowing people to eat less and still manage. Instead, it would cause food prices to surge by 300%, starving 50% of the population, until food supplies significantly exceeded demand, at which point prices would drop, and those who starved would be those who couldn't afford the expensive food. "It means death!"

As Li Yi'an finished speaking, the office fell silent again, as if the air itself had frozen.

Cheng Lixuan stood still, remained silent for a few seconds, and then slowly spoke:
"Your Excellency, in international politics, morality is often a luxury. Our goal is to contain the new regime in Tehran and protect our interests in the Middle East. If we do not take action, the power of the religious leaders will expand further, and they will continue to incite the Shiites in Iraq, which will lead to instability in Iraq and ultimately more people will die in war or turmoil."

Between two evils, we must choose the lesser; this is the choice we must make.

Like many of his peers, Cheng Lixuan was deeply influenced by "social Darwinism." Because of this, they were always able to make many decisions based on interests, and sometimes they were even more decisive than Li Yi'an.

After he finished speaking, the office fell into a long silence.

After a long silence, Li Yi'an sighed softly, his gaze returning to the documents. A moment later, he said:
"This must be the devil's choice."

After he finished speaking, he raised his head, looked at Cheng Lixuan, and said:

"We don't have many options when faced with this choice."

He paused, then continued:
"We must adopt a gradual escalation strategy, step by step worsening their living conditions. We cannot resort to all means right away, as that would provoke a strong backlash from the international community and put us in a passive position."

He picked up his pen and circled several clauses on the document:

"Let's start with basic sanctions and embargoes, such as fertilizers and seeds. As for initiating SWIFT sanctions, that's a backup plan, and we need to be cautious about it."

The reason for caution is that the SWIFT system was built by SEA and has just gained global dominance. If others discover its "killer feature" and develop an alternative system, things could get very bad.

Therefore, some weapons are better left unused than used prematurely. However, the fact that they could think of using the SWIFT system to strike Iran shows that there are no fools in this world.

But the more this is the case, the more cautious we need to be. SWIFT is the final push, and there's no need to do it now.

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Cheng Lixuan immediately agreed, saying:
"I believe they will soon present their reasons. The pilot's defection has led Tehran to intensify its crackdown on the opposition. According to reliable sources, they have increased arrests within the military, with over 80% of officers arrested, and have also intensified their crackdown on civilians. These actions have been criticized by Western countries. At the same time, they continue to incite Iraqi Shiites to seize power, which further undermines regional stability."

As events escalate, we can always find a suitable pretext to impose the harshest sanctions and embargoes.

He added:

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will also coordinate with European and American countries to implement sanctions, of course, in the name of maintaining regional stability."

Why is the SEA so concerned about "maintaining regional stability"?
Because Iraq is the core of the SEA's interests in the Middle East, Iran's current outward expansion has seriously affected the SEA's interests.

Li Yi'an didn't speak, but leaned back in his chair, looking out the window. Then he stood up, walked from his desk to the floor-to-ceiling window, and then walked back. Those who know him know that he has this habit of pacing and talking at the same time.

Finally, he turned around and slowly said:

“We use food as a weapon, and eventually, hunger will make Iranians stand against the Imam. They will miss the good old days of the Pahlavi era—abundant food, a stable currency, and a peaceful life… At that point, the situation in Iran will naturally develop in the direction we hope for.”

His voice sounded very calm; nothing else mattered.

The key is to plunge Tehran into turmoil and chaos, and famine is the most effective weapon; after all, when it comes to bread, everything else is meaningless.

"This is the special thing about food as a weapon. It seems invisible, but it can easily bring down a country! And that's why we need to hold on tightly to East Africa, because it is our granary. If it falls into the hands of others, we will be at their mercy."

He closed his eyes briefly, chuckled self-deprecatingly, and then emphasized in a serious tone:
"Therefore, this is the importance of food security."

For a country, food is its lifeline; controlling food means controlling the initiative. We must firmly safeguard our bottom line of food security.

Then, he changed the subject and said:

"Notify relevant departments to proceed with sanctions against Iran in accordance with the phased escalation plan."

The decision has been made, so it must be carried out no matter what. As for the devil... that's the reality between nations.

When the office door closed gently, Li Yi'an was once again alone in the room. He stood by the window, quietly looking out, then silently took a puff of his cigar, followed by a shake of his head and a soft sigh.

No one knows what his sigh was about, nor what he was thinking at that moment. In fact, this is the cruelty of great power rivalry.

The fates of countless people are often decided by a few individuals, and the fate of a nation is decided by others thousands of kilometers away...

(End of this chapter)