INA–Follow up
Iranian Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf denied on Thursday the validity of US claims that Tehran had agreed to use its released financial assets to purchase agricultural goods from the United States.
Ghalibaf stated in a post on the “X” platform: “Washington falsely claims that the released Iranian assets will be used to purchase its agricultural products,” adding sarcastically, “The only harvest we reap from America is decades of mistrust, and it is organic, abundant, and locally produced, while the United States exports nothing but genetically modified soybeans, broken promises, and empty words.”
Ghalibaf’s statements followed similar assertions by the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran, Abdolnaser Hemmati, who also denied the validity of the announcement made by US President Donald Trump, in which he stated that the agreement obligates Tehran to spend the funds exclusively on US exports.
"The initial released sum of $12 billion will be allocated to purchasing essential goods and medicine, allowing Tehran to direct its regular cash flow to other expenditures," Hemmati explained in a video statement.
He emphasized to his domestic audience that there is no condition or legal obligation in the signed memoranda of understanding stipulating purchases from the United States.
However, the central bank governor left the door open to the possibility of conditional purchases, stating, "We see no problem in purchasing from American markets if the prices and quality of essential goods—such as wheat, corn, and soybeans—are competitive and meet our needs."
US President Donald Trump had previously stated that the frozen Iranian funds would only be invested in American markets and to support American farmers by purchasing wheat, corn, and soybeans exclusively.
