Iran Rejects US Claim on Unfrozen Funds for American Goods

The Lead

Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has rejected claims by US President Donald Trump that Tehran's unfrozen assets would be funnelled exclusively into purchasing American agricultural exports.

Ghalibaf's Response

“America falsely claims our unfrozen assets will buy their agriculture,” Ghalibaf wrote on social media platform X on Thursday. He added that Washington “only exports GMO soybeans, broken promises and trash talk”. Ghalibaf also stated that the only crop Iran is harvesting is “decades of mistrust” planted by the US.

The US Claim

Trump had remarked that initial financial relief under the Pakistan-mediated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) would include $500 million in American goods. He insisted that no direct cash would reach Tehran, promising the funds would instead be used to buy corn and wheat from US farmers to alleviate Iran's “hunger problem”. US Vice President JD Vance also stated that if Iranian assets are unfrozen, “they’re going to go to make American farmers richer and feed the Iranian people”.

Iran's Counter Narrative

Iranian state and semi-official media have countered the US administration's narrative, framing the framework agreement as a strategic victory rather than a concession. According to reports from the semi-official Mehr News Agency, Ghalibaf described the memorandum during a diplomatic visit to Baku as a “declaration of US defeat”, asserting that the text does not contain any legal clauses mandating the purchase of US commodities.

The Future Outlook

Tensions over the deal's implementation come as both sides continue to negotiate the finer details of the Iran-US MoU. The agreement, brokered by Pakistan, began on June 18 following electronic signatures from Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Iran's central bank governor said funds released under the emerging agreement with the US will not necessarily be restricted to essential goods.