Ex-minister rejects Trump claim over Iran oil output, sales
Former Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad rejected US President Donald Trump’s claim that he stepped down because Iran had “no economy” and “no oil,” saying Iranian oil production and exports continued despite sanctions.
“My resignation has nothing to do with Trump’s claims last night,” Paknejad said in a post on X on Wednesday, adding that he remains committed to Iran despite the pressure placed on the country’s oil industry, Press TV reported.
“I am a soldier of the homeland and one of the millions ready to sacrifice for beloved Iran,” he said.
Paknejad recounted that he was placed under US sanctions only a few months after taking office but maintained that Iran’s oil industry continued operating despite the restrictions.
“Although I was sanctioned by the No. 1 enemy of the Iranian people only a few months after assuming the post of oil minister, by the grace of God, Iran’s oil production and exports continued through the efforts of the dedicated employees of the oil industry, even under sanctions and siege,” he said.
Iran’s Oil Ministry sold $18 billion worth of oil during the war and the ceasefire that followed, according to the ministry’s media outlet Shana in August. Shana said the figure accounted for more than 60% of the oil revenue forecast in the current fiscal year’s budget.
Paknejad also said Trump’s claims reflect the pressure facing those seeking to restrict Iran’s oil sector.
“They have suffered a hard blow; it is natural for them to resort to making such false claims,” he said.
His comments came after Trump told reporters outside the White House that Iran’s economy is in very poor condition and in his typical delusional fabrication, claimed that Paknejad had said, “We have no economy. We have no oil. We have nothing.”
Trump also claimed that millions of barrels of oil had passed through the Strait of Hormuz in recent days. This is while other reports indicate that traffic through the strategic waterway remains well below pre-war levels.
Paknejad led Iran’s massive oil and gas industry through two rounds of US and Israeli aggression and oversaw the reconstruction of some petrochemical plants damaged in Israeli aerial attacks.
Pezeshkian accepted Paknejad’s resignation on Sunday and appointed Hamid Bovard, chief executive of the state-run National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), as caretaker oil minister until Parliament approves a new minister.