According to Iran’s official news agency IRNA, Industry, Mining and Trade Minister Rıza Fatemi Emin gave information about the draft law on second-hand automobile imports after the cabinet meeting.
Stating that there were problems in the automobile market due to the demand exceeding the supply, Emin said, “Although there was a good course in terms of production in the last year and the current year, people bought cars to protect their assets against inflation, and there was confusion in the automobile market due to excessive demand due to speculative fake demand deficits.” told.
The Iranian Minister said, “The quick solution to the tension in the automobile market is to give priority to automobile imports. For this purpose, the government approved an emergency bill on imports of second-hand cars and this bill will be put on the agenda in the first parliamentary session. I hope it will be quickly approved in the parliament. Until the gap between supply and demand closes.” We will continue to import automobiles under the coordination of the Central Bank until said.
The Iranian government imposes strict regulations and heavy taxes on automobile imports, with support for domestic automakers such as “Iran Khodro” and “Saipa”. The Iranian automobile industry, which provides employment to hundreds of thousands of people and is considered one of the most important sectors of the country, has been operating under the unilateral sanctions of the USA since 2018.
Foreign companies, notably French automakers such as Peugeot, Renault and Citroen, halted their activities in Iran due to extensive unilateral sanctions by the United States.
Omid Kalibaf, Spokesman of the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade of Iran, announced in November 2022 that the registration and import of French cars in the country is prohibited, and Japanese, Korean, Chinese and non-French European cars will be imported instead.
