Exports are controlled primarily through the exercise of financial
controls. In general, laws and regulations governing export trade
are designed so that commodities that are in short supply, or which
would otherwise have to be replaced by imports, may not be exported.
Thus there is a standing prohibition against the export of gold and
silver in bars, sheets, or coins; cattle, sheep, raw hides, charcoal,
matches, butter, sugar, and tea. Also prohibited are exports of arms
and ammunition, precious stones other than turquoise and pearls, and
archeological articles. Only on rare occasions has the Government
authorized the export of any or these commodities.
Decrees currently in effect permit the export of all other commodities
without licensing procedure except those under Government monopoly,
such as opium, oil and tobacco, and except wheat, flour, barley,
legumes, rice, lumber and cotton. Depending on the availability of
these last-named commodities, export quotas are established for them
each year, and export licenses are issued by the Ministry of National
Economy to private individuals or firms to the extent of the quotas
established for each commodity.
The issuance of export licenses for lumber and cotton is subject to the
approval of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Iran Cotton Co. (an
agency of the Plan Organization), respectively. The export of opium and
tobacco, which are under Government monopoly, is subject to license of
the Ministry of Finance.
Some Iranian exports are effected under barter or clearing agreements
which Iran has concluded with a number of countries since 1940,
including the U.S.S.R., the Federal German Republic, France, Italy,
Czechoslovakia and Poland. Since quota lists under these agreements
specify the commodities involved, exports made thereunder are in effect
licensed by the agreements themselves.
Regulations promulgated on March 18, 1953, under the Law on the
Encouragement of Exports and the Issuance of Licenses to Engage in
Foreign Trade of December 22, 1952, require Iranian exporters to submit
a preexport declaration, in which they inform the Ministry of National
Economy of their intention to export stated commodities to stated
destinations. One copy of this declaration is certified by the Ministry
and must be returned to the exporter within 48 hours. A second copy
goes to the Customs Administration for use in inspecting the goods when
they actually leave the country.