Ukraine in Arabic | Apple may start to sell its production in Iran
KYIV/Ukraine in Arabic/ Apple is in preliminary talks with Iranian distributors to possible enter the Persian market should Western sanctions be sufficiently eased.
Senior Apple officials have reportedly met with Iranian distributors at the company’s headquarters in London and discussed the possibility of having retail stores in Iran distribute Apple products. Instead of company-owned and operated Apple stores, the outlets would be midsize franchises selling only Apple products, according to the newspaper’s sources. Earlier, the company applied for this practice in European and Asian markets.
A move into Iran would not be unprecedented, at least in the smartphone sector, as a number of big-name Asian corporations are already selling their wares and have become well entrenched in the region.
In August of 2013, Apple announced it would begin selling products to customers who planned to take the devices into Iran. At the time, the U.S. government had just lifted an export ban imposed as a result of economic sanctions targeting Iran's nuclear program. The Obama administration reportedly eased restrictions of high-tech electronics as they could help citizen protestors disrupt the Iranian regime.
Like many countries, Iran has an appetite for Apple devices. A report in 2013 noted business was booming for banned Apple products, with devices being funneled in through underground trade routes for massive profits.