US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Iran is going through what he described as extremely difficult circumstances, pointing to deterioration in the country’s economy and oil sector while saying the future of its leadership remains unclear.
Speaking at an event in Maryland, Trump referred to the resignation of Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad, saying the former minister had spoken of Iran having neither an economy nor oil.
Trump said Iran was in a “very bad” situation and claimed that “no one knows who is running it.” He also claimed that the Iranian economy had collapsed and that the inflation rate was approaching 300%.
Trump also addressed the Strait of Hormuz, saying the United States controls the strategic waterway. He pointed to the movement of millions of barrels of oil through the strait in recent days, saying traffic levels had at times exceeded those recorded before the war.
The US president further claimed that the United States had “effectively eliminated Iran” following strikes carried out by B-2 bombers, arguing that the operations had brought Iran’s nuclear program to an end.
Trump said leaders from various countries had contacted him to thank him for the war with Iran, adding that he asked them about their contribution to its costs.
He also said the United States had rebuilt its military capabilities during his first presidential term and had used its forces only to a limited extent during his second term. Trump stressed that, in his words, Washington uses its armed forces for peace and goodwill.
The US president added that the United States would end the conflict with Iran, either through a diplomatic settlement or by other means, saying that a decision on how to proceed would become clear “very soon.”
Iran’s presidency announced Sunday that it had accepted Paknejad’s resignation and appointed Hamid Bovard, the chief executive of the National Iranian Oil Company, as acting oil minister.
Shortly before his resignation was announced, Paknejad said Iranian oil revenues were continuing, stressing that oil income remained ongoing.
Meanwhile, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Iran no longer had oil stored at sea and would not generate oil revenues during the week, as Washington continues to apply pressure on Iran’s oil sector and economy.
