Iran behind attack on cargo ship in Strait of Hormuz near Oman

Mohammad Berger Ghalibaf’s rebuttal followed remarks in the past days by President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that a temporary peace deal that would unfreeze Iranian assets would benefit American farmers.

The comments came as President Trump faces criticism from some Republicans over his handling of the war with Iran and the memorandum of understanding.

In a post about X, Ghalibaf wrote, “America falsely claims that unfrozen assets will buy its agriculture. Interesting.”

“The only crop we are harvesting is what you planted: decades of distrust,” Ghalibaf wrote. “It’s organic, it’s plentiful, it’s homegrown. But apparently the U.S. only exports GMO soybeans, and the promises are broken and the bullshit continues.”

When asked for comment, the White House provided a statement from a U.S. official that said, “The frozen funds have not left the channel and no frozen funds will leave the channel unless Iran meets the requirements set forth in the MOU.”

“The United States must approve how the funds will be used, as outlined in the memorandum of understanding,” the official said. “As Vice President J.D. Vance announced this week, once Iranian assets are released, they will be used to purchase American agricultural products to feed the Iranian people.”

“The funds and sanctions released by the U.S. Treasury will be placed in a U.S.-controlled escrow and used to purchase food and medicine imported exclusively from the U.S., including corn, wheat, and soybeans from America’s great farmers,” Trump wrote in a social media post Tuesday.

Bessent echoed that assertion Wednesday in an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” saying the Treasury Department would oversee the release of Iranian funds.

“A very large percentage of that will go toward purchasing food and medicine for the United States,” Bessent said.

Iran has repeatedly denied these claims.

Earlier this week, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said that purchases of agricultural products would be based on “price and quality” rather than conditions imposed by the United States, according to the Associated Press.

“It’s interesting that the philosophy and purpose of the war – the destruction of Iranian civilization and the collapse of Iran – ended up enriching American farmers,” Baghaei said.

The White House on Wednesday asked Congress to approve nearly $88 billion in additional spending for costs related to the war with Iran, as well as aid to U.S. farms and the response to the Ebola outbreak in Africa.

The request was immediately opposed by Congressional Democrats.

Also Wednesday, in a late-night vote, the Senate rejected a resolution that would have given Congress the power to end the war. The vote came a day after the Republican-controlled Senate approved a similar bill.

The reversal came after a private meeting between President Trump and Senate Republicans, two of whom changed their earlier votes. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana switched his vote to “no” on the resolution, and Rand Paul of Kentucky changed his vote from “yes” to “yes.”

Also Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Iran is seeking to make billions of dollars in revenue by charging for security, safety and environmental services in the Strait of Hormuz.

The newspaper reported that Iran is promoting the idea by suggesting its Persian Gulf neighbors share the revenue from such services.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Trump have flatly rejected the idea of ​​imposing tolls or fees on ships passing through the strait.

The Strait of Hormuz is the world’s most sensitive chokepoint for oil transport. Before the US and Israel launched their war against Iran at the end of February, 20% of the oil consumed by the world passed through the strait.

Under a 60-day agreement that suspended that war, Iran cannot impose tolls on ships sailing through the strait during that time.