Iran lifts its ban on imports of new iPhone models in place since last year

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranians will soon be able to get their hands on iPhones 14, 15 and 16 after authorities lifted a ban on new smartphone models by the U.S. tech giant Apple, according to an announcement Wednesday.

The ban on new iPhone models had been in place since 2023 but now, the country's telecommunications minister said authorities are allowing the registration of the new models.

The minister, Satar Hashemi, said on X that the problem of registering new iPhone models on the Iranian market was “solved” and that Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian backed the efforts of the communication ministry toward that goal.

Hashemi did not elaborate but said the import measures would be announced, soon.

Following the 2023 ban, iPhone 13 and older versions could still be imported amid high demand for an item that remains a status symbol for many young Iranians.

While the ban was in place, any iPhone 14, 15 or a newer model brought into Iran would stop working on Iran’s state-controlled mobile phone networks after one month, the time span for tourists allowed to visit the county.

The ban spurred a parallel economy for the older handsets, jacking up prices for the devices as many sought to put their depreciating Iranian rials into any physical commodity. It was a sign of the economic woes plaguing Iran after decades of Western sanctions.

Imports of iPhones have long been a contentious point — government statistics suggest that about a third of Iran’s entire $4.4 billion mobile phone import market consisted of iPhones before the ban.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in 2020 pointedly criticized iPhone imports though he had previously slammed what he described as all American luxury goods.

“Excessive imports are something dangerous,” Khamenei said at the time, according to a transcript on his official website. “Sometimes this import is a luxury product, meaning there is no need for it. I’ve heard about half a billion dollars were spent to import one type of American luxury cellphone.”

However, other foreign smartphone brands such as Motorola, Samsung, Nokia, Xiaomi and Huawei remain widely available in Iran.