Speaking on Wednesday on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting in response to a question about US officials' statements that the United States does not need Middle East oil, he sarcastically said: "They are right; the Middle East oil needs the US. Some Middle Eastern oil countries need the United States more than the United States needs them.”

Zangeneh said: "The US, given its shale oil production, doesn't need the Middle Eastern oil, but it still has oil imports.”