In a message released on Wednesday following his resignation, Paknejad said, “My resignation has nothing to do with Trump’s claims last night.”
Paknejad described himself as “a soldier of the homeland” and one of millions of people devoted to Iran, saying that despite being sanctioned by “the number one enemy of the Iranian people” only a few months after taking office, Iran’s oil production and exports continued through the efforts of dedicated oil industry workers.
He added that oil production and exports continued even under the US sanctions and blockade, thanking God for the continuation of the process.
“Having suffered a hard blow, it is natural for them (the US) to resort to making such false claims,” Paknejad said, referring to the claims made by Trump.
His message came after Trump claimed that millions of barrels of oil had passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the previous days and alleged that Paknejad had resigned because Iran had “no economy” and “no oil.”
Trump told reporters outside the White House that Iran’s economy was in very poor condition, claiming that the oil minister of Iran had purportedly said, “We have no economy. We have no oil. We have nothing.”