Syria bans import of mobile phones

The Syrian Ministry of Economy and Trade has announced that it is banning the import of mobile phones “until further notice.”

Economy Minister Mohamed Samer Khalil has ordered officials across the country to decline all requests for phones to be imported. No import permits are be granted until the regime decides otherwise, according to an official communiqué circulated on social media and published by media outlets.

The decision is expected to result in increases in the price of mobile phones, which have been a best-selling product in the country for many years, despite the fact that they are already sold at inflated prices of up to 700,000 Syrian pounds. The average weekly wage in the country is 50,000 Syrian pounds (approximately $40).

A mobile phone company announced last October that it was the only establishment in the Middle East selling the latest version of iPhone at prices in excess of five million Syrian pounds each. This was criticised heavily in a country that is subject to particularly severe penalties for importing US-made products.

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