Iran to U.S.: “Get Ready for Takeoff”

Al-Taj News – Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf sent a message to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in response to the latter’s remarks about future oil prices falling to levels between $40 and $50.

Qalibaf posted a picture on the X platform showing the U.S. Treasury Secretary “riding” a missile, accompanied by the caption: “Upward.. Warm-up operations before takeoff,” referring to his expectation that the U.S. economy and markets could face a more difficult phase.

In his post, Qalibaf highlighted a number of economic issues, including diesel prices, the U.S. Treasury bond market, spending and debt servicing, as well as the status of the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

The message came following remarks by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in which he indicated that oil prices could fall to between $40 and $50 per barrel if the conflict ends and large quantities of oil begin flowing back into global markets.

Qalibaf believes that this optimistic scenario regarding lower energy prices overlooks, according to his assessment, a number of pressures facing the U.S. economy, particularly rising energy costs, government debt-servicing costs and volatility in financial markets.