Apple is in early discussions with distributors to start official sales of its products in Iran, nearly a year after the U.S. started to loosen sanctions on exports to the country.
Senior Apple executives are currently courting prospective Iranian distributors at the company's headquarters in London, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter. This could pave the way for an official reseller network in the Middle East country.
Apple's entry into Iran is contingent on future diplomatic relations, though the company is making preparations in case sanctions lift. The Journal's report notes other Western businesses are doing the same, though many of those interested in getting in early are based out of Europe however, not America.
Sources expected Apple to rely on so-called "premium resellers" in its Iranian operations, not flagship Apple Stores. The business model would take after franchise-style outlets that deal only in Apple products, the same strategy used in select locations of Asia and Europe.
A number of big-name Asian corporations are selling their devices in Iran already and have become well entrenched in the region, meaning a move into Iran wouldn't be unprecedented.
Apple announced back in Aug. 2013 that it would start selling products to customers who planned to take the devices into Iran. At the time, the U.S. government had just listed an export ban imposed as a result of economic sanctions targeting Iran's nuclear program, according to The Journal.
The Obama administration eased restrictions of high-tech electronics as they could help citizens disrupt the Iranian regime.
A report released in 2013 mentioned business was booming for banned Apple products, with devices being funneled through underground trade routes for massive profits.
Apple reported preorders for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in South Korea are estimated to have topped the 100,000 mark.
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