Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2725 The Ignited Fury (Third Update, Please Subscribe)

The controversy erupted almost immediately.

When the US government announced that it had agreed to allow former Iranian Shah Pahlavi to enter the country for medical treatment, it immediately caused a huge uproar in Iran, thousands of miles away.

The new Iranian government reacted swiftly and forcefully, convening an emergency cabinet meeting almost immediately after the news broke, and subsequently issuing a statement to the nation via state television.

The statement reiterated the previous stance, condemning the US move. It declared that the US's acceptance of him was tantamount to supporting Pahlavi and an attempt to overthrow the newly established regime.

As Iran's Supreme Leader, the Imam naturally also delivered a speech; in fact, it was he who propelled the new regime's hardline stance. Addressing the assembled believers and the national audience, his voice was broadcast throughout Iran.

"The United States is Satan,...the enemy of the world!"

The priest's voice wasn't exactly forceful, but it was undeniably powerful:

"They think that by accepting a dying man, they can revive their power in Iran and undermine our achievements. That's wishful thinking!"

He then called on all Iranians to unite and resist American interference, and to resolutely demand that the United States extradite Pahlavi back to Iran to face trial by the Iranian people.

After the cleric's speech, cheers and slogans erupted throughout Tehran. Believers held up portraits of the cleric and chanted slogans such as "Down with America" ​​and "Extradition of Pahlavi," with anger spreading through the crowds.

The new government immediately took a series of tough measures in response to the US provocation. They announced the suspension of all non-essential diplomatic contacts with the US and the recall of diplomatic personnel stationed in the US for consultations; at the same time, they publicly called on the international community to condemn the US interference and support Iran's legitimate demand for the extradition of Pahlavi.

In addition, the government has strengthened domestic security measures, with the entire National Guard on high alert, patrolling the streets of Tehran to prevent the remnants of the Pahlavi regime from taking advantage of the situation to cause trouble. The Iranian judiciary also issued a statement, saying that Pahlavi is suspected of multiple crimes including murder, treason, and corruption, and demanding his extradition from the United States. Once extradition is completed, legal proceedings will be initiated immediately to impose the most severe punishment on him, with zero tolerance.

Meanwhile, under official guidance, the people of Tehran also mobilized, with angry university students becoming the backbone of the protests. That afternoon, students from several universities, including Tehran University and Shahid Beheshti University, left their campuses, holding placards and chanting protest slogans, and marched towards the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.

Among the protesters, 23-year-old Mohammed Maliki Qani, a theology student at the University of Tehran, appeared particularly radical. The slender man led the charge and set fire to an American flag in front of the U.S. embassy. As the flag burned, cheers erupted from the crowd.

Among the angry crowd, Ibrahim Askari kept observing the people in the group, trying to remember every one of those who were agitated.

In fact, people in cars not far away were taking pictures of those people, but Ibrahim Askari mingled in the crowd, protesting, burning the Stars and Stripes, and shouting with those around him.

The young people were infected by his emotions, and their slogans grew louder and louder. At that moment, Ibrahim Askari seemed to be the center of everyone's attention and their leader.

Among the crowd, Masoumeh Ebtekar, a member of the female student union, wore a black headscarf, yet her slender frame radiated astonishing power. Her cheeks flushed with excitement as she shouted and roared.

Her eyes were fervent and resolute.

With her fists raised high, she was even trembling with excitement. The female students around her surrounded her, shouting in unison, their voices clear and firm, piercing through the noisy crowd.

The students' signs, with slogans like "Execute Pahlavi, pay for the blood debt," were particularly eye-catching. They burned the Stars and Stripes and portraits of Pahlavi, the flames burning fiercely, reddening half the sky and illuminating the anger in the eyes of every protester.

Outside the walls of the US Embassy in Tehran, an angry mob had gathered, their waving flags and placards almost obscuring the sky. Ibrahim, Qani, Masoumeh, and others were among those pushed to the front of the crowd, their voices hoarse yet still shouting and roaring.

As night fell, the protests in Tehran did not stop; in fact, they intensified. The area in front of the US Embassy in Iran was packed with protesters. Tens of thousands of people expressed their anger towards the United States in their own way!
On this day, Iran's anger was ignited!

……

On television, angry Iranian students burned the Stars and Stripes, while a portrait of Pahlavi was trampled by thousands and then thrown into a fire.

The anger was palpable, even through the television screen.

"Master..."

"Iran……"

While watching the news on TV, Song Shiyuan kept repeating these words, his brows furrowed, and occasionally he would pick up a pen and write something in his notebook.

What were their motives?

As he muttered to himself, Song Shiyuan heavily circled the word "motive" and added two underlines.

People in intelligence circles often say that if you don't have the talent to understand your opponent's psychology, all other skills are useless.

Athletes who participate in one-on-one competitive sports such as boxing, tennis, and fencing know that understanding their opponent's psychology is a prerequisite for victory.

As an official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Song Shiyuan knew very well that it was crucial to understand the thoughts of one's adversaries in diplomacy.

Sometimes, what needs to be considered is not just one person, but an entire country.

Right now, what he needs to figure out is the country of Iran. "The key is their motives; only by understanding their motives can we possibly understand their true thoughts..."

Is motivation important?
If it were anyone else, they could simply discuss the anti-American wave in Iran and perhaps treat it as entertainment. But for diplomats, they must understand the other side's motives before they can take targeted countermeasures.

This is all the more important because the relationship between Chang'an and Tehran has now effectively broken down.

"Shiyuan is watching the news again."

At that moment, a sound came from the living room, making Song Shiyuan look up. It was his roommate. Because single apartments are relatively rare, they often need to share an apartment with others.

"Um,"

Song Shiyuan nodded and said:

"No scenes to film today?"

"What are we filming? It's just a minor role."

As he spoke, Ray Lui took two bottles of beer from the refrigerator, opened them, gave one to Song Shiyuan, and drank the other himself. Then, watching the news on TV, he said:
"These guys are insane! He's practically dying, and they want to send him to the gallows... Is it really necessary?"

Hearing what Ray Lui said, Song Shiyuan nodded and said:

"Yes, there's no need for it, but they did it anyway, which is why it seems a bit strange."

Although one of them is an actor and the other is an elite officer from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it doesn't stop them from chatting and drinking beer together.

Sometimes, men have their own talent for politics. Even if they only went to a vocational school and usually just play minor roles in TV dramas, it doesn't stop Ray Lui from sharing his insights.

"Oh dear, who would have thought that in just one year, Iran would become such a horrible mess?"

After taking a sip of beer, Ray Lui continued.

"When I was in high school, the news on TV was all about Iran signing the largest military procurement order in history. Iran was so rich back then. It's nothing like it is now. I guess in a while, we might not even be able to afford to eat."

The reason Lu Liangwei said this is because the SEA has now imposed sanctions on Iran—sanctions that authorize a comprehensive trade embargo and asset controls on Iran.

Meanwhile, Southeast Asian countries also imposed similar sanctions on Iran, prohibiting their companies from engaging in any trade with Iran.

These sanctions have directly deprived Iran's oil, petrochemical, and fertilizer industries of technological support and component supplies, leading to a decline in Iran's industrial capacity. Therefore, in television news reports, experts have pointed out that with the continuation of sanctions, Iran may be unable to produce enough fertilizer in the future, which will inevitably cause problems with Iran's food supply.

"It's alright, they can buy food..."

As Song Shiyuan said this, he was silently thinking to himself—if only he could obtain foreign exchange.

Trade sanctions against Iran are likely to escalate further—just earlier this month, Iran passed the Nationalization Law, legally establishing state ownership and control over all key sectors—oil, gas, banking, insurance, mining, and large-scale industry—and announcing its intention to nationalize foreign companies within its borders.

They regained complete control of the National Iranian Oil Company, ending the concessions held by Western financial groups. At the same time, all foreign banks and insurance companies were nationalized and merged into a new state-owned bank.

Meanwhile, joint ventures or foreign-invested enterprises in the automotive, steel, and chemical industries are being taken over by them.

This naturally resulted in damage to SEA investments. As a result, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in accordance with its response strategy, planned to implement the second step—freezing Iranian assets in the SEA, prohibiting SEA citizens and corporate entities from engaging in financial transactions with Iran, restricting foreign ships trading with Iran from docking at SEA ports, and prohibiting SEA overseas subsidiaries from trading with Iran.

These measures will deal an unprecedented blow to the Iranian economy. Even if they have oil, they will face the predicament of having no tankers to transport it – because the South Pacific region has built more than 80% of the world's large oil tankers.

Therefore, the biggest problem for Iran going forward is not how much oil they produce, but how to get it out of the country.

Without sufficient foreign exchange reserves from oil, how will they buy food?
This would be a devastating blow to Iran's economy... Suddenly, as if understanding something, Song Shiyuan said:

"I see……"

"what?"

Looking at the startled Song Shiyuan, Ray Lui asked in surprise:
"What do you know?"

Somewhat excited, Song Shiyuan downed his beer in one gulp and said:
"I know why they're making a mountain out of a molehill on this issue!"

(End of this chapter)