Central Bank Says Car Imports Are Not a Priority for Currency Allocation

Mehdi Darabi, the Central Bank of Iran governor's assistant for foreign exchange, said in remarks reported by ISNA and published on Friday, 3 Mehr 1405 (September 25, 2026), that given current trade and currency restrictions the central bank has not given car imports any priority in currency allocation. He added that if Iran's currency position improves, car imports should be allowed as far as possible.

Addressing proposals to import cars using the foreign currency of Iranians living abroad, Darabi said this route is not neutral for the currency market either: after selling the car at home, the importer converts the principal, the profit and the import duties paid back into foreign currency and takes it out of the country, which he said draws that currency "from the open market." He also said some of the imported cars now on the market came in through the clearance of goods that had been left at customs, under various kinds of pressure.

The remarks matter for both the car market and the free currency market, since the supply of imported cars and the demand for import currency both hinge on this policy.