TEHRAN - Former Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad has rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that he stepped down because Iran had “no economy” and “no oil,” saying Iranian oil production and exports continue despite sanctions.

“My resignation has nothing to do with Trump’s claims last night,” Paknejad said in a post on X on Wednesday, adding that he remains committed to Iran despite the pressure placed on the country’s oil industry.

“I am a soldier of the homeland and one of the millions ready to sacrifice for beloved Iran,” he said.

Paknejad recounted that he was placed under U.S. sanctions only a few months after taking office but maintained that Iran’s oil industry continued operating despite the restrictions.

“Although I was sanctioned by the No. 1 enemy of the Iranian people only a few months after assuming the post of oil minister, by the grace of God, Iran’s oil production and exports continued through the efforts of the dedicated employees of the oil industry, even under sanctions and siege,” he said.

Paknejad also said Trump’s claims reflect the pressure facing those seeking to restrict Iran’s oil sector.

“They have suffered a hard blow; it is natural for them to resort to making such false claims,” he said.

His comments came after Trump told reporters outside the White House that Iran’s economy is in very poor condition and in his typical delusional fabrication, claimed that Paknejad had said, “We have no economy. We have no oil. We have nothing.”

Trump also claimed that millions of barrels of oil had passed through the Strait of Hormuz in recent days. This is while other reports indicate that traffic through the strategic waterway remains well below pre-war levels.

Paknejad was appointed as oil minister two years ago after Masoud Pezeshkian was elected president.

He led Iran’s massive oil and gas industry through two rounds of U.S. and Israeli aggression and oversaw the reconstruction of some petrochemical plants damaged in Israeli aerial attacks.

Pezeshkian accepted Paknejad’s resignation on Sunday and appointed Hamid Bovard, chief executive of the state-run National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), as caretaker oil minister until Parliament approves a new minister.

According to presidential communications deputy Mehdi Tabatabaei, Paknejad had resigned for personal reasons “a long time ago” and that President Pezeshkian accepted it at his own insistence. 

“Eng. Paknejad had previously submitted his resignation for personal reasons, which was not initially accepted by the President; however, the President ultimately accepted it today,” Iran’s Journalists Club reported on Sunday.