Baku, Azerbaijan, May 1
By Farhad Daneshvar – Trend
The value of smuggled goods into Iran over the last three years has been almost halved, a government body said in a statement.
The Iranian central task force to combat the smuggling of commodities and currency has said that about $12 billion worth of goods were smuggled into the country over the last fiscal year (20 March 2016/2017).
According to the report, the value of goods smuggled into the country in 2013/2014 stood at $25 billion.
The central task force to combat the smuggling of commodities and currency also said that it has decided to publicize the figures prior to the May 19 presidential election in order to inform candidates about the situation of goods smuggling and the outcome of taken measures aimed at dealing with the issue.
Iran goes to the polls on May 19 to elect its president, in which moderate Hassan Rouhani backed by reformists seeks re-election against conservative rivals.