Washington: US President Donald Trump has described ongoing peace talks with Iran as a potential victory for American farmers, saying that any release of Iran’s frozen funds should be tied to purchases of US agricultural products, including corn, soybeans and wheat.
In a post on social media, Trump said Iran urgently needs these commodities and argued that facilitating such trade would help address humanitarian concerns.
“These are products that Iran desperately needs. It is a humanitarian issue, and I think it is important to help,” Trump said.
The proposal comes as the United States and Iran continue diplomatic efforts aimed at easing tensions and advancing a broader agreement.
However, agricultural trade experts have expressed doubts about whether Iran would significantly increase imports from the United States in the near future.
Joseph Glauber, Research Fellow Emeritus at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), said he does not expect trade volumes between the two countries to expand dramatically in the short term.
“I would not expect trade to be very large in the near term,” Glauber said.
He noted that Iran already relies on a diverse network of agricultural suppliers and is unlikely to abandon established trading relationships solely to accommodate purchases from the United States.
According to analysts, Iran’s major food suppliers currently include Brazil, India, Turkey, the European Union, Canada, Australia and Argentina.
Glauber added that any attempt by Washington to pressure Tehran into shifting its agricultural imports toward US products could create friction with some of America’s international competitors and trading partners.
While Trump has framed the proposal as a win-win arrangement for both humanitarian needs and US farmers, experts say the practical impact on agricultural exports may remain limited unless broader trade and sanctions-related barriers are also addressed.
