Page 47 - IRANRptMar20

9.1.9​ Retail sector news
Damage to shops in Iran during unrest so far assessed at more than 1.7 trillion rials
More than Iranian rial (IRR) 1.7 trillion (€12.4mn at the free market rate) of major damage to Iranian retailers including supermarkets had occurred by November 19 during the riots across Iran sparked by a sudden big rise in petrol prices introduded at the end of last week, ​Jam-e-jam​ has reported.
Around 80 chain stores in different cities across the country were set ablaze over the past five days by rioters, local reports indicate. Some stores were partially damaged while others were wholly ransacked and set ablaze.
Most of the affected stores are in cities around Tehran including Marlik, Parand, Shahriar, Robat Karim, Pardis, Malard, Shahr-e Qods, Varamin and Hassanabad. Chain stores in Isfahan, Alborz province, Sanandaj and Kermanshah are also known to have been destroyed.
The provided financial estimate did not take into account minor damage to retail stores.
An unknown number of people lost their lives in the unrest. Amnesty International says it has confirmed 106 deaths.
On November 22, the authorities were ​gradually ending the global internet blackout​ they imposed on the country once the unrest became substantial.
9.1.10​ Construction & property sector news
The sale of several properties owned by the Iranian state in Albania, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan has been proposed in a letter sent to the Rouhani cabinet by Iran’s foreign ministry, according to details published by​ Cabinetoffice.ir​.
The properties include apartments, embassy buildings and land. Some of the properties are said to be in the way of redevelopment plans drawn up by the host cities. Unofficially, however, social media users are pointing to the empty coffers of the foreign ministry as the real reason for the sales appetite, with Iran struggling economically given the US sanctions throttling its economy. According to the foreign ministry, two buildings belonging to the Iranian embassy in Tashkent, Uzbekistan are within the scope of the city’s ‘urban development plan’. Also, a piece of land belonging to the Iranian embassy in Tirana, Albania, initially purchased for the construction of the embassy's residence, is said to be unsuitable for the purpose, while five apartments owned by Iran’s mission in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, are on the ministry's for sale list.
Iran has dozens of embassies globally, with the vast majority of prime properties purchased during the time of the last Shah prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
In recent years, Iran has sought to offload properties including valuable assets in London's Kensington district, where a proposed futuristic-looking Iranian embassy was rejected by planners and objected to by Prince Charles. Americans claiming to be victims of Iranian state-sponsored terrorism—with such claims typically made in the US courts even when the terrorist atrocity has no provable direct relation to Iran—have also sought to achieve the sale of Iranian state-owned properties abroad. US plaintiffs have attempted to obtain legal orders making them cashable assets from which compensation payments can be drawn.
A contract on the construction of a joint Iranian-Azerbaijani industrial park in Iran’s northwestern Ardabil province has been signed, province
47​ IRAN Country Report​ March 2020 www.intellinews.com