Imported second-hand iPhones are selling for more than 2,000 US dollars in Iran, an Iranian official has admitted.

The price of the devices – brought in from UAE – is due to an import ban on the iPhone 14 and production having stopped on the iPhone 13, according to Hossein Rouzbeh, a director of the Cell Phone Importers Association.

In January, Iranian media reported that the Islamic Republic spent $9 billion in foreign currency to import mobile phones over 33 months, with a large slice going on Apple devices.

According to Tasnim news agency, about $2.3 billion was spent on importing just two million “luxury” phones – mainly from US brand Apple. This is less than five percent of the total number of phones bought by Iranians.

The rial’s plunge against the US dollar in recent months has exacerbated chaos in several of Iran's major markets and brought many businesses to near standstill.

The price of mobile phones rose sharply with many retailers preferring to hold on to their stock in anticipation of a further fall of the rial.

In a letter addressed to the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA), Iran's Ministry of Industry banned the import of Apple's iPhone 14 and higher models from February 20, 2023.

"iPhone 14 and higher model mobile phones will no longer be registered in Iran and related instructions will be announced at the crossing points of the country,” said the letter.