A reaction has come from Iran to US President Donald Trump's statements regarding the resignation of former Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad. Speaking to the Iran-based Tasnim News Agency, Paknejad addressed Trump's remarks from yesterday, stating, "My resignation has no connection to Trump's claims. Paknejad is a soldier of this homeland and one of the millions who sacrifice themselves for our precious Iran."
The former minister stated, "Even though I was subjected to sanctions by the number one enemy of the Iranian people months after I took office as Minister of Petroleum, the production and export process of Iranian oil continued despite the conditions of sanctions and blockade, thanks to the efforts of the dedicated workers in the oil industry." Regarding Trump's remarks, Paknejad said, "They have been dealt a very heavy blow. Therefore, it is natural for them to make such baseless claims."
Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani described Trump's statement as "a futile attempt to cover up his own mistakes." Mohajerani said that Paknejad's resignation was not "a sign of weakness," but rather a flexibility in Iranian politics.
Trump: "The Iranian Oil Minister said, 'We have nothing'"
US President Trump, in his statement to the press yesterday regarding the resignation of Iranian Oil Minister Paknejad last Sunday, had said, "The Iranian Oil Minister resigned. He said, 'We have no economy, we have no oil, we have nothing.'"
Reports in the Iranian press did not provide any details regarding the reason for Paknejad's resignation. After Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accepted Paknejad's resignation, Hamid Bovard, Chairman of the Board of the state-owned National Iranian Oil Company, was appointed as the interim Minister of Petroleum. Mehdi Tabatabaei, Deputy Head of the Communications Unit of the Iranian Presidential Office, stated in a press briefing that Paknejad had resigned "a very long time ago" for personal reasons. The Iranian official noted that President Pezeshkian had accepted the resignation request upon Paknejad's persistent insistence.
News Source: 12punto
