iPhone ban puts Iran in a difficult position: $1.3 billion loss

Abdulmehdi Esedi, head of the Iran Mobile Phone Importers Association, warned that if the new government formed by President Masoud Pezeshkian does not lift the import ban on iPhones, Iran's losses next year will reach $1.3 billion.

"The ban on iPhone imports over the last two years has not only failed to achieve goals such as managing the country's foreign exchange resources, but has also caused approximately $900 million in foreign currency to leave the country illegally," said Esedi, adding that he has information that the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Industry are working to lift the ban.

According to unofficial data, more than one-third of Iran's mobile phone imports consist of iPhones, while the import and registration of iPhone 14 and 15 models are currently prohibited under the ban. Although Apple has banned the sale of its products in Iran and has no official representative in the country, the brand's phones remain among the most popular devices among Iranians.