Iran's National Olympic Committee: Iranian Athletes Will Not Accept Samsung Phones Without an Apology

Reza Salehi Amiri, the head of Iran's National Olympic Committee, reacted to reports about a change in the International Olympic Committee's stance regarding the distribution of Samsung mobile phones to Iranian athletes, stating, "If an apology is not made to Iranian athletes, they will not accept the Samsung mobile phones as gifts." Yesterday, the spokesperson for the South Korean Winter Olympic Committee told AFP that due to UN sanctions, athletes from Iran and North Korea are prohibited from receiving Samsung smartphones at the Winter Olympics. Samsung donated 4,000 smartphones to the South Korean Winter Olympic Committee to be distributed among athletes and Olympic officials. However, according to AFP, the donated phones, priced at around $900, could be considered luxury items that fall under UN sanctions. Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Samsung stated the International Olympic Committee is responsible for distributing these mobile phones and that the company has no explanation regarding this incident. According to Mehr News Agency, Iranian representatives who went to the designated location on Thursday to receive the Samsung mobile phones returned "empty-handed" to their accommodation. However, reports emerged on Thursday about a change in the committee's stance, indicating that Iranian athletes would also receive Samsung phones. According to ISNA, Reza Salehi Amiri stated on Thursday in response to these reports, "As long as an apology is not made to Iranian athletes, they will not accept the Samsung mobile phones as gifts." Meanwhile, Iranian news agencies reported that Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, threatened that if Samsung does not "compensate" for this action by the end of today, he would change his Galaxy S8 phone. On Thursday, Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, announced that Mahmoud Farazandeh, the director general for Asia and the Pacific at the ministry, summoned the South Korean ambassador on Wednesday evening. According to this report, the Iranian Foreign Ministry threatened that if Samsung does not apologize for this incident, "this issue will severely impact Samsung's trade relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran." Mr. Qasemi stated that the South Korean ambassador indicated during this meeting that "officials of the South Korean government and Samsung had no involvement in the misunderstanding and distribution of the donated items as sponsors of these games." According to reports from some Iranian news agencies, 50% of the mobile phones legally sold in the Iranian market are manufactured by Samsung.