The FAO stated officially on 26 November 2025 that Iran produces 85 to 90 percent of the world's saffron. Yet Iranian customs data for 1403 (2024/25) puts the average export price at roughly $862 per kilo, less than half the world average of about $2,000. Sahmino examines Iran's three different shares of this market, the re-export role of the UAE and Spain, and the counterintuitive finding that "red gold" has lagged both gold and the dollar over the long run.
