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The rampant smuggling of mobile phones into Iran has been reduced to almost zero, according to an April 22 tweet by the country’s Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister, Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi. The drop in the smuggling rate is attributed to the Iranian government's implementation of regulations stating that no phone will be connected to Iran's mobile networks unless it has been registered following a purchase from an officially recognised company. Also, the IMEI number, a code unique to every phone, must be recorded on the official database.
Azari Jahromi tweeted in Persian that “the rampant smuggling of mobile phones has been reduced to almost zero as a consequence of e-government policies”. Iran recorded non-black market mobile phone imports numbering 3.2mn handsets in the last Persian year (ended March 20), marking a 112% y/y gain, Tasnim News Agency reported on April 16. The sudden spike in imports was down to the Rouhani administration’s push to shut down the wholesale black market for mobile phones.
9.1.5 Agriculture sector news
Iran enjoyed a 10-fold increase in rainfall in the Persian month of Khordad (began May 22) according to the Iranian Meteorological Organisation, Tasnim News Agency reported on June 20.
The record late rainfall—measured against the historical average—that fell on parts of the country including Tehran has nevertheless not compensated for the current’s Persian year’s overall rain deficit, the organisation stated.
The country's rainfall had reached 166.6 mm from the start of the current year (from March 21) to the evening of June 18. In the same period of the previous calendar year, the total was at 226.1 mm, meaning there has been a 26.3% y/y drop. Iran's precipitation for the period over the past 49 years was 236.6 mm.
Iranian saffron producers have listed their highly valuable commodity as a derivative future on the Iran Mercantile Exchange, Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported on May 24. The idea of selling the lucrative commodity produced in Iran by the kilo on the exchange was long floated and the move followed months of preparation. Several government body approvals were needed before the rare flower stem used as a spice could be upgraded to become a tradable commodity on the exchange.
Around 85% of the world’s saffron is produced in Iran and industry figures believe that with this level of production, it is the natural right of Iranian players to devise the basis for global stock exchange trading in saffron and to set the global base price for the product.
According to a press circular released by the Iran Mercantile Exchange, the listings expiration date is set for September 11, with each contract consisting of 100 grams of premium saffron as its underlying asset including a 3% fluctuation cap.
On the first day of trading, 102.7kg of crown saffron transferred hands, with 1,027 contracts signed. The average price per gram on the day was IRR67,800 to IRR70,000, Tasnim News Agency reported. The current price for each kilogram of Iranian-produced saffron stands at a minimum of €658 for low-quality saffron and tops out at €1,094 for the highest quality.
9.1.6 Property sector news
39 IRAN Country Report July 2018 www.intellinews.com
Property sales in Tehran made strong gains in the second month of the Persian year (April 21-May 20), moving up 16.7% y/y, the Central Bank of