Trump reposts article citing Iranian speaker's economic warning

President Donald Trump shared a Newsmax report on his Truth Social account carrying the headline "We Are Hungry, We Cannot Survive," attributed to Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf — a post that has since drawn a mocking public response from the Iranian official himself, who says the quote misrepresented what he actually said.

According to the Daily Sabah and the Express Tribune, both drawing on Anadolu Agency, Trump reposted the Newsmax item, which they reported "inaccurately quoted" Ghalibaf. Ghalibaf answered on Monday by posting an image reworking Trump's signature slogan into "Make America Hungry Again," the Express Tribune reported, adding that the graphic carried statistics on hunger and food insecurity in the United States. WION reported that the image claimed 47 million people in the United States face hunger and that 16 million American children are affected by poverty and cost-of-living pressures. Without naming Trump, Ghalibaf wrote that "You cannot cover up your defeats with baseless claims," according to the Daily Sabah.

The underlying remarks appear to date to last week. Al Bawaba reported that Ghalibaf, speaking at a meeting with Iranian and Iraqi economists in Baghdad, warned that military strength alone cannot sustain the country if basic needs go unmet, describing security and the economy as "two wings" that depend on one another. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, in a dispatch republished by GlobalSecurity.org, quoted him as saying that no matter how much military power Iran has, without financial activity, economic growth and domestic production, "we cannot survive." Iran International, citing Iran's official IRNA news agency, reported a similar formulation from the same Baghdad appearance, at Iran's embassy on Thursday. WION reported that, according to Iranian media, Ghalibaf was not describing hunger as the present condition of the Iranian people — a conditional warning rather than a confession.

Greek outlet Parapolitika, reporting on Trump's repost, noted that the quotation as circulated had not been independently confirmed by other sources at the time. BreakFirst has not independently verified the wording of the original remarks or the full context in which they were delivered.

The exchange lands in the middle of an intensifying economic confrontation. The Associated Press reported that Iran's currency hit a record low on Monday, with the rial dropping to 2.02 million to the U.S. dollar as trading opened, while the Central Bank's official rate stood at roughly 1.5 million — with the market rate being what most Iranians actually pay. The AP reported the currency was already under strain before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, amid double-digit inflation and negative growth, and has repeatedly set new lows over nearly six months of war. NPR reported that inflation now stands at almost 90 percent according to Iran's own Statistical Center, and described an Iranian woman who told the network she buys groceries on credit and could not afford tomato paste.

The Daily Sabah reported that Trump last Wednesday announced what he called the most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country, framing his pressure campaign as economic warfare and isolation. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in a Financial Times opinion piece quoted by the AP, wrote that Trump had "decimated Iran's economy to a point where the rial has never been weaker." The AP also reported that the United Arab Emirates, long one of Iran's largest trading partners and its biggest source of imports, announced last week it was suspending all trade with Iran.

CNBC reported in April that the International Monetary Fund projected Iran's economy would shrink by 6.1 percent in 2026 with inflation near 69 percent, and that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the subsequent U.S. blockade had cut off most of Iran's international trade, with more than 90 percent of its annual trade normally passing through the waterway.

Iran International reported that Ghalibaf's warning has exposed tensions in Tehran over publicly acknowledging economic strain, with hardliners arguing that visible signs of weakness will invite further American pressure. The outlet also reported that President Masoud Pezeshkian said Friday it would be better to end the war now, while Iran remains in what he called a position of power and dignity, and cited Israeli analyst Raz Zimmt as seeing in such statements a growing recognition in Tehran that the situation is unsustainable.

NPR reported that Bessent was set to unveil fresh sanctions aimed at isolating Iran. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran on Monday that "any escalation of this situation will undoubtedly bring about consequences," according to the AP. This story will be updated.