Tehran, Iran, July 4
By A. Shirazi, Trend:
Iran has banned the import of four foreign drinks, the head of the Office for Combating Currency Smuggling and Money Laundering said.
In a circular issued recently, the government notified all relevant organization about the beverage ban and urged them to halt import of drinks under the brands of Vimpo (Saudi Arabia), Leema (Thailand), Moju Moju (Thailand), and Star (the UAE) to the country, Amir Mohammad Parhamfar said on July 4, Tasnim news agency reported.
Ding Dong chocolate cake made in the Philippines and China-made M&M, colorful button-shaped chocolates, are also among the prohibited goods, he added.
He added the move is aimed at combatting smuggling and reducing the import of non-essential goods that have similarities inside Iran.
This came after the government banned the import of 1,339 commodities categorized as “non-essential goods with domestic alternatives”.
As per an official letter by the Minister of Industries, Mining and Trade Mohammad Shariatmadari to Chairman of Trade Promotion Organization of Iran Mojtaba Khosrotaj, orders already registered for the import of these commodities are no longer valid.
The minister’s letter, dated June 20, suggests that the list of banned imports was finalized in the meeting of the government’s Economic Council chaired by First Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri on the same day.