Iran Denies Trump Claim Frozen Funds Will Buy U.S. Crops

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the Treasury Department would release sanctioned Iranian assets into a U.S.-controlled escrow, allowing Iran to spend the funds on American wheat, corn and soybeans. The claim was reiterated by Vice President JD Vance during a visit to Switzerland.

Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, rejected the assertion as false, stating that Iran has no intention to use any unfrozen assets to purchase U.S. agricultural products and warning that the claim reflects decades of mistrust. Analysts noted that Iran’s food imports currently come from Brazil, India, Turkey, the EU, Canada, Australia and Argentina, and that a shift to U.S. suppliers could strain those relationships.

The proposal to free Iranian frozen assets—estimated at over $100 billion—requires agreement from more than 40 countries and possibly a new UN Security Council resolution, making the immediate implementation uncertain.