Iran Officially Bans Import of US Goods
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Minister of Industry, Mine, and Trade Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh has issued a directive to prohibit the import and distribution of any consumer goods made in the United States.
Yadollah Sadeqi, head of Iran’s Center for Guilds and Trade, announced that Nematzadeh issued the directive earlier this week, and that importing and distributing US consumer goods will no longer be permitted.
The Iranian official further pointed to certain contracts signed with two American companies for the import of US-made cigarettes and soft drinks, and stressed that these contracts have been inked by the private sector not the government.
No license is issued for American brands to operate in Iran even if there has been any such a thing in the past, he added.
Sadeqi also referred to the recent shutdown of a restaurant in Tehran named KFC, and reiterated that the Iran-based fast food restaurant did not have any link to the American fast food chain, KFC.
The promising prospect of trade with Iran following the recent nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers has prompted giant American firms, among those from other countries, to explore the market potential in the populous Middle East nation.
While many consider the JCPOA – the finalized text of the agreement- a major breakthrough in the improvement of ties between Iran and the West, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has made it clear that Tehran’s policy towards the US will remain unchanged.
In a speech in August, Ayatollah Khamenei underlined that Iran acts “decisively” to block Washington’s abuse of the outcomes of the nuclear talks, noting, “With all our strong capabilities, we will not allow Americans’ economic, political or cultural infiltration or political presence in Iran.”
