TEHRAN The U.S. Agriculture Department said earlier this week that some 50,000 tons of U.S. corn was sold to Iran during the first week of August. The Farsi-language daily Iran was among the first newspapers to run the news on its front page. Some print media in the country hesitated to carry the story because of its sensitivity waiting for official confirmation of the relevant officials.

So far no official confirmation or denial has been made in this connection by the government officials. The U.S. Administration declared last April that it would exempt sale of food, medicine and medical equipment from the list sanctions on Iran, Sudan and Libya. However, new regulations were issued in early August, just in time for the corn sale. The sale of corn by U.S. to Iran shows that the U.S. Administration is rewarding the American farmers who extended efforts to convince the government to relax sanctions on Iran. In late December some 32 U.S. Congressmen and several agriculture groups wrote to Clinton requesting him to facilitate sale of $500 million U.S. wheat, corn, sugar, rice and soybeans to Iran. Other reports have also disclosed that the administration has gone further to consider discount for the sale of the agriculture products to Iran. The just-in-time move of the U.S. Administration to sell corn to Iran proves to be to the interest of American farmers who are looking for new markets.

As far as Iran's national interest is concerned, the country should not import agriculture products in medium-term and instead should come up with proper mid-term planning in agriculture sector to achieve agriculture self-sufficiency in long-term period. However, should there be short-term and emergency requirement to import certain agriculture products from abroad, surely the national interests should endorse the green light for the import of such imports from the countries with whom Iran has amicable relations.