Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the Speaker of Parliament and head of Iran’s negotiating team, rejected claims made by American officials regarding the use of Iran’s unfrozen assets to purchase U.S. agricultural products, calling the assertions a “lie.”
Writing on his X account on Thursday, Qalibaf stated: “The only product we harvest is the very thing you planted years ago: decades of distrust.”
His remarks came in response to statements by senior U.S. officials. U.S. President Donald Trump had previously stated that a significant portion of Iran’s unfrozen assets would be spent on purchasing agricultural products and essential commodities from the United States. Following him, Scott Bessent, the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, also emphasized that a large percentage of these resources would be allocated to purchasing food and medicine from the U.S.
Abdolnaser Hemmati, the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran, had also previously announced that, within the memoranda signed between Tehran and Washington, there is absolutely no obligation to purchase essential goods or agricultural inputs from the United States.
Nevertheless, Hemmati confirmed that the unfrozen resources would be usable for importing essential goods and medicine in accordance with the framework of the 2023 Iran-U.S. agreement. He also emphasized that if the price and quality of American goods are suitable, there would be no obstacle to purchasing from the country.
