Iran has lifted all restrictions on registering imported mobile phones, marking a significant change in the country's anti-smuggling policies, a senior official announced on January 28, Itmen reported.

Hamidreza Dehghani Nia, acting deputy for prevention at Iran's Anti-Smuggling Headquarters, said the new policy follows a cabinet decision made on January 23 that allows registration of all smartphones currently in the country.

Previously, the Islamic Republic had issues with people bringing in the latest models of iPhone, which were not permitted to run on local mobile networks. The policy change addresses long-standing concerns about Iran's mobile phone registration system, which previously placed significant restrictions on registering imported devices.

"The cabinet decree explicitly emphasises that all smartphones in the country can benefit from this provision and proceed with information registration and customs duty payment according to procedures that customs authorities will establish," Dehghani Nia said.

He added that the registration process will be implemented through collaboration between the customs administration, the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade, and the Ministry of Communications.

The customs authority will determine the value assessment method and develop transparent procedures for duty payments.

"The Central Anti-Smuggling Headquarters proposed these changes to the government, which were reviewed and approved by the cabinet on 20 January, aiming to resolve all existing issues," Dehghani Nia explained.

"There will no longer be any problems regarding mobile phone registration and their use on the country's operator networks," he said. 

Earlier in October, following the death of Hamas’ leader in Iran, the country announced it had banned Motorola phones, fearing the brand could be rigged with explosives.

Although Motorola holds a relatively minor share of Iran’s smartphone market (less than 2% of the overall market), the ban leaves the inventory and investments of affected retailers in uncertainty. Online stores have already reacted by removing Motorola products from their listings or marking them as “out of stock.”

Iran’s Mobile Phone Association chairman, Abdulmehdi Asadi, explained that the ban was in response to explosions involving pagers in Beirut. He confirmed that recent import restrictions were extended to encompass distribution and sales, making it illegal for retailers to offer Motorola phones for sale, even if they have existing stock.

“Motorola phones previously imported and available in stores are no longer permitted for sale and have been removed from shelves, which explains why online stores also list these phones as unavailable,” Asadi stated.