The ministry’s public relations department said in a statement that
several media outlets and Telegram channels had published what it described as
inaccurate and fabricated reports concerning the ministry’s supervision of the
firms and their role in Iran’s oil trade.
According to the ministry, some reports had claimed there was an
agreement between the government and parliament to replace the oil minister and
that decisions concerning trustee companies would follow a ministerial change.
The ministry dismissed those reports as speculative and inconsistent with
official government positions.
The ministry also rejected allegations that supervision over trustee
firms had weakened, that the companies had supported Paknejad, or that their
numbers had tripled during his tenure. Claims that the companies had been
allowed to operate without adequate technical and professional vetting were
also described as false.
The ministry said the allegations had previously been addressed
through official statements and reviews by what it described as independent and
established media outlets.
Sanctions-linked trading structure
The ministry said trustee firms emerged in response to intensified
international sanctions and have been used as part of the mechanisms enabling
Iran to continue selling crude oil, petrochemical and steel products and
repatriating export proceeds.
It said the operating model and oversight mechanisms for such
companies had been revised in recent years, before the current government took
office, with the firms brought under closer supervision through the country’s
banking network. The ministry said that framework remained in place after the
change of government.
The ministry also stressed that oversight of the companies is not
limited to the Petroleum Ministry and that other relevant government bodies
have supervisory responsibilities.
The statement comes as Iran continues to operate under sanctions that
constrain conventional channels for oil exports and access to international
financial systems. The ministry said the trustee-company mechanism therefore
remains part of the infrastructure used to facilitate foreign trade and bring
export revenues into the country.
Warning over sensitive reporting
The Petroleum Ministry urged media organizations to exercise greater
caution when reporting on sensitive issues involving oil exports and economic
security, particularly during what it described as a challenging period for the
country.
It argued that publication of unsupported claims could affect public
confidence and disrupt economic processes, including mechanisms for securing
foreign currency and importing essential goods.
The ministry also said it reserves the right to pursue legal and
judicial action against media outlets it believes have damaged its reputation
or interfered with economic operations.
According to the statement, details concerning the difficulties
surrounding crude-oil exports and the repatriation of foreign-exchange earnings
are regularly reported to senior government, security and supervisory
authorities.
The ministry said it remains committed to its responsibilities in
managing the country’s oil-export operations and described what it called media
campaigns against those operations as potentially disruptive to broader
economic processes.