Identification of Several Perpetrators of 'Violation in the Entry of 6400 Vehicles' into Iran

Hamidreza Fooladgar, a member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, states that in addition to several 'official and unofficial importers,' a number of 'employees of the Organization for Development and Trade' and the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade have also been involved in the violation of registering orders for thousands of vehicles and their import. This announcement came after Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, ordered the Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade on Sunday, July 1, to investigate the import of foreign cars and distribution by domestic automakers within 15 days and to explicitly inform the public and the judiciary of 'any violations.' This directive from Rouhani followed reports about the registration and import of over 6400 vehicles through 'illegal channels' and also reports of public dissatisfaction regarding the distribution and pricing of domestic automakers' products. Hamidreza Fooladgar, the head of the Special Commission for Supporting National Production and Monitoring the General Policies of Article 44 in the Parliament, announced in an interview with the judiciary-affiliated news agency Mizan that a report on 'import violations and registration orders regarding vehicles' is being prepared in collaboration with the Industry and Mining Commission and the Special Commission for Supporting National Production to be presented to the Parliament's open session. According to Fooladgar, this report mentions the violation 'during the time when the vehicle registration system was closed, yet 6,000 vehicles were registered, which the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade has acknowledged.' He attributed part of the violations in this area not only to the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade but also specifically to some 'employees of the Organization for Development and Trade' and the other part to both official and unofficial importers. The head of the Special Commission for Supporting National Production and Monitoring the General Policies of Article 44 added that if representatives agree with this report, a request will be made to the judiciary to address these violations. According to Article 236 of the Internal Regulations of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, whenever at least 10 representatives or any of the commissions 'announce the non-compliance with decorum and the violation or refusal to implement the law or the incomplete implementation of the law by the President or the Minister or the officials of their subordinate agencies,' 'the matter shall immediately be referred through the presiding board for consideration by the relevant commission.' If the Parliament approves this report, the matter will be sent to the judiciary and other competent authorities for expedited and informal handling. From July to December 2017, new vehicle registration was halted, but afterward, government officials and parliamentary representatives announced that during this period, several vehicles were illegally registered and imported. Nasser Seraj, the head of the Iranian General Inspection Organization, stated in late June that the vehicle ordering website was hacked and 'about five thousand high-end and expensive vehicles were illegally imported into the country.' According to Seraj, 'of this number, about four thousand vehicles have been cleared and entered the market, and one thousand vehicles are still in customs.' A few days later, he also reported that 'the hacker has been arrested' and 'the code through which he entered has been disclosed.' The Ministry of Industry's security center also announced that of the six thousand vehicles that were 'illegally registered,' the clearance operation for about 4500 vehicles in customs has been halted, and cases have been formed for over 1900 vehicles. After the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, the Iranian car market, like other markets, experienced severe fluctuations, and some Iranian news agencies reported that the difference between the prices announced by car manufacturers and the market is several tens of millions of tomans. Some experts and news agencies have attributed reports of the exit of foreign car manufacturers - such as the French company PSA, which produces Peugeot and Citroën vehicles - from joint projects with Iranian automakers as the reason for the sudden increase in the prices of 'participatory vehicles.' Additionally, experts state that the government's recent ban on the import of foreign cars has led to an increase in car prices.