Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf speaks during a press conference in Tehran, Iran, December 2, 2025.
Shadati | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images
The speaker of IranThe Islamic Republic’s parliament on Thursday mocked the Trump administration’s claims that the Islamic Republic thawed assets will be used to purchase American agricultural products.
The replica of Mohamed Bagher Ghalibaf came after days of statements from the president Donald Trump and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessant that one temporary peace agreement This would lead to the unfreezing of Iranian assets and would be a boon for American farmers.
The comment comes as Trump faces criticism from some Republican lawmakers over his handling of the war with Iran and the memorandum of understanding that suspended it to allow peace talks.
“America falsely claims that our unfrozen assets will buy its agriculture. Interesting,” Ghalibaf wrote in an article on X.
“The only harvest we reap is the one you planted: decades of distrust,” Ghalibaf wrote. “It’s organic, abundant and locally grown. But apparently the US only exports GMO soy, broken promises and trash talk.”
The White House, when reached for comment, provided a statement from a U.S. official, who said: “No frozen funds have left the canal and no frozen funds will leave the canal unless Iran meets the requirements set forth in the memorandum of understanding.” [memorandum of understanding]”.
“As the memorandum of understanding says, the United States must approve how the funds are used,” the official said. “As Vice President JD Vance announced this week, if Iranian assets are released, they will be used to purchase American agricultural products to feed the Iranian people.”
Trump, in a social media post Tuesday, wrote: “The money and/or sanctions that the U.S. Treasury releases are placed in escrow, controlled by the United States, and will be used to purchase food and medical supplies, exclusively from the United States, including corn, wheat and soybeans from our great American farmers.”
Bessent, during an interview Wednesday with “Scream box”, echoed this assertion, saying that the Treasury Department would supervise the Iranian funds when they were released.
“A very large portion of this amount will be used to purchase food and medicine in the United States,” Bessent said.
Read more about CNBC’s politics coverageIran has repeatedly denied these claims.
Earlier this week, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said any purchases of agricultural products would be based on “prices and quality,” not conditions imposed by the United States. The Associated Press reported.
“Interestingly, the philosophy and goal of the war, which was the destruction of Iranian civilization and the collapse of Iran, became an enrichment for American farmers,” Baghaei said.
THE White House On Wednesday, Congress asked to approve nearly $88 billion in additional spending to cover costs associated with the war against Iran as well as aid for U.S. farms and the response to an Ebola outbreak in Africa.
This request was immediately opposed by congressional Democrats.
Also Wednesday, in a vote late in the evening, the Senate rejected a resolution to give Congress the power to stop the war. The vote came a day after the Republican-controlled Senate approved a similar measure.
The reversal came after a closed-door meeting Trump had with Senate Republicans, two of whom changed their previous vote: Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who changed his vote to “no” on the resolution, and Rand Paul of Kentucky, who changed his vote from “yes” to “now.”
THURSDAY, UK maritime trade operationsa British maritime safety alert service, said in an article on Strait of Hormuz near the coast of Oman had been hit “by an unknown projectile” on its starboard side, “causing damage to the deck”.
The ship reported no casualties or environmental impacts, according to the UKMTO.
Also Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran is working to make billions of dollars by charging for security, safety and environmental services in the Strait of Hormuz.
The newspaper claims that Iran is promoting this idea by suggesting that its Persian Gulf neighbors share revenues from these services.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump have flatly rejected the idea that ships crossing the strait be subject to tolls or taxes.
The Strait of Hormuz is the world’s most sensitive chokepoint for oil transportation. Twenty percent of the world’s oil consumed passed through the strait before the United States and Israel began their war against Iran in late February.
Under the 60-day agreement that suspended that war, Iran cannot impose tolls on ships in the strait during that period.
