Iran Bans Imports of American Consumer Goods

Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh, Iran's Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade, officially announced the ban on imports of American consumer goods through a directive. This directive, dated November 9, was addressed to the deputies and heads of the Industry, Mine and Trade organizations in Iran's provinces and was published on the ministry's official website on Thursday, November 14. In this directive, Mr. Nematzadeh referred to a recent letter from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to Hassan Rouhani and his conditions for implementing the nuclear agreement, stating that the deputies and heads of the Industry, Mine and Trade organizations must 'prevent the import of American consumer goods.' Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized in his letter to the Iranian President that 'the lifting of sanctions should not lead to excessive imports, and particularly, any import of consumer goods from America should be strictly avoided.' Following this letter, Mr. Nematzadeh announced that he intends to implement the recommendations of the Supreme Leader through this directive. The directive also stresses the 'necessity of strengthening national production' and implementing 'resistant economy,' stating that deputies and heads of industries and trade must 'not allow the sale of American consumer goods, which symbolize America's presence in the country.' Recent reports from Tehran indicate that a KFC restaurant in the city was closed just one day after it opened. KFC, a well-known American chain with multiple branches worldwide, told Radio Farda that it had not granted permission to anyone to open a branch in Iran. The owner of the KFC in Tehran also stated that he holds a franchise from the Turkish (halal) KFC, not from KFC America.