Iran is lifting a ban on the import of new iPhone models that has been in place since last year

TEHRAN, Iran — Soon, Iranians will be able to get their hands on the iPhone 14, 15 and 16 the authorities lifted the ban on new models of smartphones by US tech giant Apple, according to an announcement on Wednesday.

The ban on new iPhone models has been in effect since 2023, but now the country’s telecommunications minister has said that authorities are allowing new models to be registered.

Minister Satar Hashemi said on X that the problem of registering new iPhone models in the Iranian market had been “solved” and that President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian supported the efforts of the Ministry of Communications for this purpose.

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

After the 2023 ban, iPhone 13 and older versions can still be imported due to high demand for the item, which remains a status symbol for many young Iranians.

While the ban was in effect, any iPhone 14, 15 or newer model imported into Iran stopped working on Iran’s state-controlled mobile networks after one month, the period during which tourists are allowed to visit the country.

The ban spurred a shadow economy for old phones, driving up the price of the devices as many scrambled to put their depreciated Iranian rials into any physical goods. It was a sign of the economic problems plaguing Iran after decades of Western sanctions.

iPhone imports have long been a point of contention, with government statistics showing that before the ban, about a third of Iran’s $4.4 billion mobile phone import market was made up of iPhones.

Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in 2020 strongly criticized the import of the iPhone, although earlier criticized what he called all American luxuries.

“Excessive imports are something dangerous,” Khamenei said at the time, according to a transcript on his official website. “Sometimes these imports are luxury goods, that is, there is no need for them. I heard that half a billion dollars was spent importing one type of American luxury cell phone.’

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