Jalal Rashidi Kochi says the Parliament should oppose the ban on iPhone imports, which, just like for cars, is happening due to sanctions. The fact that the iPhone 15 cannot be imported or registered in Iran is not new news. Last winter, the order stated that iPhones from model 14 onwards could not enter Iran. The introduction of the iPhone 15 at Apple’s event last week simply added a few new phones to the list of prohibited phones in Iran.
According to IDEA, The ban, which the Secretary of the Mobile Importers’ Association has recurring and permanent reasons. Mehdi Abqari, Secretary of the Importers’ Association, has cited high exchange rates and reciprocal measures against foreign sanctions as the main reasons.
Today, however, Jalal Rashidi Kochi, a member of the parliament, has explicitly called for the cancellation of these bans, criticizing these reasons. He believes that the minister of SAMT has decided to ban the import of iPhones, but the parliament should address this issue and oppose this ban.
Jalal Rashidi Kochi, a Member of Parliament stated:
The parliament should engage in the discussion of the ban on iPhone imports. This entry can take the form of a proposal to lift the ban on importing iPhones, which is no longer on the agenda in this parliament. So, we focus on the question raised the reasons of the Minister of SAMT, even though we reject their reasons with our questions.
Member of the Internal Affairs and Councils Commission in the Parliament has also considered the issue of the currency drainage from importing iPhones as unfounded and said: “Those who oppose imports argue that it involves currency drainage and takes foreign currency out of the country. Our perspective is that Samsung is the same; it also involves currency drainage and, in fact, they allocate government currency to Samsung, but they do not allocate government currency to the iPhone.”
The Future of the Mobile Market: Import Bans, Creating Monopolies, and Low-Quality Products
He believes that the continuation of restrictions and import bans on the latest iPhone models will lead to the same fate that befell the automotive industry:
When they say that phones over $600 are banned, I feel threatened about these phones. It’s the same thing that happened with cars when they used the lack of foreign currency as an excuse over time and said we don’t have currency, and we don’t want to import what we have inside, and then they eliminated car imports and brought cars to this stage. The same thing is happening with phones. Jalal Rashidi Kochi, a Member of Parliament said
He went on to mention the issue of domestic phone production: “At present, an Iranian company has also emerged and is producing phones. With the current trend, we might have to wait in line to buy a phone in one or two years, and it will be an Iranian phone of low quality.”
The representative of Marvdasht’s people also explained that the disappearance of competition is the main reason for his opposition to the ban on importing Apple phones: “When you eliminate competition, you create a monopoly; over time, this monopoly damages people’s pockets. Importing iPhones alongside other phone brands helps maintain competition. Before the ban on iPhone imports, the price of an iPhone was fifty million, and the price of Samsung was forty million Tomans. Now, the prices of refurbished and refreshed iPhones are 150 to 160 million Tomans, and Samsung is priced at 70 to 80 million.
Soon or late, all phones will be equipped with satellite communication
The issue of satellite internet connectivity has also been raised as a reason for the ban on importing iPhone 14 and 15 into Iran. Rashidi Kochi explained the reason for the import ban on iPhones as follows:
“Some say that it should not be imported because the iPhone connects to satellite internet. But my argument is, why should Samsung or other phone manufacturers wait for the iPhone to be the only one with satellite internet? Satellite internet is a technology that will eventually be installed on all phones.”
He went on to call the saga of import bans a “game” and stated, “This is a game; if iPhone imports are eliminated, then it will be Samsung’s turn. They use the same excuses for Samsung, claiming we don’t have currency, and new Samsung phones with satellite internet chips should be banned from imports. In such conditions, most people who can’t afford Samsung S-series or iPhones buy regular phones, which we also produce ourselves.
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