TEHRAN – Chairman of Food Industries Association of Iran has said that all food products imported from Saudi Arabia are “illegal” because they are smuggled into the country.

In an interview with Jaam-e Jam newspaper published on Sunday, Kaveh Zargaran said due to domestic interests and its foreign policy, Iran does not issue permit for food imports from Saudi Arabia.

He also called for harsher punishment for smugglers in order to reduce the amount of products imported illegally. “I think these fines do not impose heavy costs on the offenders,” the official said.

Zargaran noted that any Saudi product which is available in Iran have been smuggled into the country, and that the issue must be pursued “rationally”.

Iran and Saudi Arabia have no diplomatic relations. Bilateral relations between the two countries were strained in the aftermath of a deadly stampede which occurred during 2015 Hajj rituals in Mina, near Mecca.

The Islamic Republic blames Saudi officials for their “inept handling” of the event which led to the incident, killing thousands of civilians, including 465 Iranian nationals.

Mutual ties worsened further after Riyadh executed prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr in January 2016. The execution triggered angry protests in many countries, including Iran, where protesters attacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad.

Saudi Arabia unilaterally cut diplomatic ties with the Islamic Republic soon after the attacks.

Also in recent months, Saudi authorities have become increasingly belligerent in their verbal attacks on Iran. Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi defense minister who was recently elevated to crown prince said, “We will work to have the battle in Iran rather than in Saudi Arabia.”

Meanwhile, Iranian officials have repeatedly said Tehran does not seek tension with Riyadh, expressing hope that the kingdom would be ready for dialogue with Iran in “a fair environment”.

“We hope they would realize their mistakes and create an atmosphere for understanding and negotiation through making up for their past mistakes,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said back in May.

MH/PA