US sanctions force Iranian saffron industry to turn to smuggling 1 minute read
By Artemis Razmipour
Mashhad, Iran, Jan 20 (efe-epa).- United States sanctions against Iran are putting the country’s saffron industry at risk, leading to a rise in illegal smuggling of the so-called “red gold” into Afghanistan.
The obstacles the transportation system and bank transactions must overcome to move and finance exports of Iranian products, including saffron, are due to the US sanctions imposed on the Islamic republic in 2018 after Washington’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.
“The unilateral sanctions on the Iranian economy have had a very negative effect on the activity of producers and exporters in the agricultural sector due to limitations in foreign exchange transactions,” Ali Shariati the head of the Iranian Commerce Chamber’s Agriculture Commission.