Why Iran is ending its years-long ban on car imports

An Iranian worker walks among cars in a depot at the Iran Khodro automobile manufacturing plant, just outside Tehran, Iran [File: Vahid Salemi/AP Photo]

Tehran, Iran – After more than four years, the first foreign-made cars are expected to be imported into Iran within months, with hopes that the move can help a chaotic market tormented by monopolies and affordability issues.

Last week, President Ebrahim Raisi’s cabinet finally approved a bylaw for importing foreign-made road vehicles, more than four months after his administration had initially green-lit the imports.