Iran Strikes Vessel in Strait of Hormuz, Pausing Escort Operations

On Tuesday, Trump attempted to allay those concerns, claiming that any economic benefit for Iran will be funnelled back to the U.S.

“The Money and/or Sanctions that the U.S. Treasury is releasing goes into escrow, controlled by the U.S.A., and will be used for the purchase of food and medical supplies, exclusively from the United States, including Corn, Wheat, and Soybeans from our great American Farmers,” Trump said in his post.

But Iran rejected that assertion. “With regard to Iran’s released assets, we will make decisions in whatever way serves the country’s interests and is most beneficial,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told media. “Concerning the purchase of goods, our Ministry of Agriculture and other relevant authorities will decide based on both price and quality. Therefore, there are no restrictions in this regard.”

“It is interesting to us that the philosophy and objective of the war, which they previously declared to be the destruction of Iranian civilization and the collapse of Iran, has now been reduced to making American farmers richer,” Baghaei added.