Report: Apple Eyeing iPhone Sales in Iran

The list of countries where Apple sells the iPhone may soon get an unlikely addition—Iran.

According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, Apple is in early talks with Iranian distributors to begin selling its products in the country if Western sanctions ease up. Senior Apple executives have already met with potential Iranian partners to explore having them sell its products, but nothing is set in stone just yet, the Journal's sources said.

Apple wouldn't necessarily open its own retail stores in Iran, but would work with premium resellers that would offer the iPhone and its other gadgets. Cupertino already uses this sales model in Europe and Asia.

While U.S. companies were previously forbidden from selling any goods or services to Iran without special authorization, some restrictions like the bans on exporting spare car and aircraft parts were lifted in January, the Journal said. In addition, a May 2013 U.S. decision lifted laws that barred the sale of consumer communication technologies in Iran, potentially paving the way for Apple to enter the market.

But as the Journal pointed out, most sanctions against Iranian banks are still in place, making it pretty much impossible to transfer payments into or out of the country. While some U.S. companies like Boeing are starting to sell to Iran, most are hesitant to make anything official without permanent sanctions relief.

Meanwhile, despite the U.S. export ban, Apple products are already popular in Iran. Computer equipment often makes it to Iranian merchants through underground trade routes throughout the region. Customers access iTunes and the App Store to download music, videos, and apps through email addresses registered outside Iran and with foreign gift cards.

A move to legitimize sales in Iran could be a big win for Apple.

"Iran's 77 million people offer a particularly attractive new market," the Journal notes. "Iran's population is relatively young, with 42 percent of its people under age 25. Iran also boasts a relative large middle class. And despite decades of animosity between Tehran and the West, many well-off Iranians still embrace Western brands and trends."