The Ayatollah’s regime in Tehran has released a decree banning over two hundred American products from reaching shelves in Iran.
“The list includes an assortment of goods, ranging from chewing gums, cigarettes and appliances to defense equipment such as tanks and armored vehicles,” reported state-run Tasnim News Agency.
But more than the 227 listed goods may be banned in the future.
In November, Iran’s Minister of Trade Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh endorsed a ban of all U.S. consumer goods, stemming from a letter written by the Ayatollah Khamenei that called for an “economy of resistance” against U.S. products.
Khamenei’s letter was attached to his conditional approval of the Iran nuclear deal, which was agreed upon by six world powers and the regime in Iran. When sanctions are lifted, allowing for an inflow of tens of billions of dollars into the regime’s coffers, Khamenei instructed the government to cease “unbridled imports” from the United States, the letter said.
In the note, which was addressed to Iranian figurehead President Hassan Rouhani, Khamenei warned that the U.S. was using “money and sexual attractions” to infiltrate Iran. He warned Iranians loyal to the regime not to fall for the “enemy’s trap.”
“The enemy [United States] sets up a network within a nation and inside a country mainly through the two means of money and sexual attractions to change ideals, beliefs and consequently the lifestyle,” the letter read.
A giant tobacco black market has developed in the wake of the ruling power’s decree. Iran’s state-run Press TV reported that 6-7 billion Marlboro cigarettes, which are made by an American company, are illegally smoked in the country.
The regime’s anti-American convictions have not ceased, even after the nuclear deal. The chants of “Death to America” are still loudly heard during Friday prayer sessions in Tehran.
Additionally, Iran has captured and imprisoned two more Americans in recent months. American citizens Siamak Namazi and Nizar Zakka are now imprisoned in undisclosed locations in Iran.