Iran has just been hit by yet another earthquake in the west. According to Behnaz Beik of the Iranian date company Aban Arya Tejarat Gostar, “The area at the border with Iraq is of no serious concern to the fresh fruit industry. The earthquake happened in the western region of Iran, while the production areas for dates are mainly based in the southwest to the southeast. While I’m not sure about other produce types, the date sector isn’t harmed at all."
And according to Al Jazeera news, the majority of victims were Iranian. IRNA, the country's state news service, said on Tuesday that at least 530 people were killed and 7,817 were injured.
However, Behnaz mentions that Iraq is a major export market for dates. “There could be consequences with regards to infrastructure, as roads may be damaged. But we’ll need to wait on more news updates on the current situation in order to assess future developments,” says Behnaz Beik in conclusion.
