Dmitri Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, and former President of Russia, attended the funeral for Ayatollah Khamenei in Tehran, and he spoke with Russian journalists on the flight back to Moscow July 4. According to RT, Medvedev said that “there was no serious reason for the American attack [that killed Khamenei]… as) Iran posed no threat to the United States.” He added: “I think Iran surmounted this toughest of ordeals with dignity.”

RT elaborated that Medvedev told Russian reporters that “during the course of the conflict, the Islamic Republic realized that it possesses a deterrent on par with nuclear weapons—namely the Strait of Hormuz… In the event of renewed aggression, Iran could similarly block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Medvedev suggested. The vital chokepoint that connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden is another important waterway for Middle Eastern oil exports.”