New electronics reach Iran, but prices soar as gov’t fees, US sanctions hit | US-Israel war on Iran News
Tehran, Iran — Following the release of the iPhone 18 lineup by Apple on September 18 in the United States, new models quickly appeared for sale in downtown Tehran. This development occurs despite Apple’s lack of a physical presence in Iran resulting from prolonged international sanctions and a U.S. naval blockade that hinders imports through Iran’s southern ports.
A phone and accessories trader in Tehran’s Charsou Mall, a key electronics market, noted that such challenges do not deter mobile phone sellers. Speaking anonymously for security reasons, he explained that importing smartphones has become increasingly complex, costly, and time-consuming due to both external pressures and regulations imposed by the Iranian government.
Internationally manufactured electronics often enter Iran via Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. However, the ongoing conflict involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran has disrupted trade routes, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz. The UAE has halted trade and financial transactions with Iran since mid-August amid the conflict, further complicating the situation.
In response, some Iranian traders have shifted to utilizing travelers from Oman to bring in mobile devices and other goods. This alternative has faced challenges as U.S. sanctions, which target all Iranian airlines and their service providers, have curtailed flight availability to the country.
“Most of the phones are now smuggled into the country,” the trader reported, noting that many pass through Sulaimaniyah in northern Iraq before entering Iran by land.
This situation extends to other electronics available in the Iranian market. Items such as laptops, graphics processing units, PlayStation consoles, and even Starlink terminals are similarly affected by the import challenges.
Currently, a MacBook Air 15-inch model is priced at the equivalent of more than $1,450 in Tehran, approximately 6% higher than average prices in the UAE. Meanwhile, a one-terabyte PlayStation 5 Slim console is listed at about $730, marking an 11% increase compared to some U.S. retailers.
Registration and Fees
The costs become even steeper for mobile phones due to mandatory registration fees imposed by the Iranian government. Without this fee, the phones can only be used for 30 days. Introduced nearly a decade ago to combat smuggling, the registration fees vary based on the phone’s value, imposing import duties of up to 30% for devices exceeding €900 ($1,010).
In addition to registration fees, domestic levies and warranties can add substantial costs to imported phones, sometimes accounting for over half of their total price.
Even registered devices face restrictions; users cannot easily access the internet due to stringent government filtering procedures. Additionally, global payment systems are often unavailable to Iranians, limiting access to many international services due to ongoing sanctions.
According to the state-affiliated Tasnim news agency, approximately $1.6 billion worth of mobile phones were imported commercially in the Iranian year that ended in March 2026, with 20% of those phones priced above $600. Passenger imports accounted for another $470 million, mostly involving higher-end devices. However, the volume of smuggled phones remains undocumented.
Customs chief Foroud Asgari reported in mid-August that about one million mobile phones were imported in the first five months of the current Iranian year, down from 3.16 million during the same period a year earlier. He indicated a decline in the import value of phones by approximately 70%.
The government maintains the authority to suspend the registration of certain phones as it sees fit. This was evident between 2023 and 2024 when new iPhone models could not be registered, cited as a measure to protect foreign currency reserves.
Rising government charges and local restrictions significantly impact consumer affordability amid declining wages and inflation. The monthly minimum wage for an average married worker is roughly $83, while the Iranian rial continues to depreciate, trading at about 2.64 million per U.S. dollar as of Monday.
Prices for essential goods, including food, are rising as domestic mismanagement, ongoing war conflicts, and sanctions strain Iran’s economy, deepening poverty among its 90-million-strong population.
Afsaneh, a 27-year-old teacher in Tehran, expressed frustration over the costs of upgrading from her iPhone 13 to the newer model. “The only way to make it work is to sell my current phone, dip into my savings, and borrow from my parents,” she said.
Many of her peers share similar circumstances, resorting to repairing aging devices instead of upgrading due to financial constraints. “A lot of people are one failure of a major electronic device away from getting into serious debt,” she added.
