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Tehran (AsiaNews) – Anyone visiting Tehran’s bazaar is in for a surprise. ‘Produce from Israel’ are on sale in the capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran. At a time when the country is in a deep economic crisis that affects industry and services even Iran’s farming sector is in dire straits. Agricultural production is too low and prices are too high (tomatoes are even called ‘red beluga’ as if they were caviar) forcing the authorities to import fruit and vegetables. Oil revenues are paying for food imports but for how long?

Still, that begs the question though. How can ‘Zionist’ mandarins be allowed into one of the spokes of the Axis of Evil? Bazaris (merchants) explain the situation easily: the produce comes from Occupied Palestinian Territories.

However, Israel does not allow Palestinians to directly export (or import) goods. The Palestinian market is “captive,” totally dependent on the Israeli economy. Israeli intermediaries are needed and the state of Israel is free to decide whether to block goods or transfer customs dues to the Palestinian national Authority.

For anyone who wants to eat in good conscience ‘Israeli’ fruit, all it takes is to say that it is ‘Palestinian’ (something hard to prove even though Tehran’s bazaris have more or less genuine certificates of origin).

In reality trafficking and the black (or grey) market have always been part of Iran’s economy. Pasdarans (revolutionary guards),who are in charge of border controls and the fight against smuggling, also take a cut on imports for personal use or for special operations. In fact, one cannot exclude that Hamas or Hezbollah might be getting some of the ‘Pasdaran’ taxes from imported Israeli citrus fruit allowed into Iran.

And mandarin sales are likely to go up as March 21 gets closer. That is the day of Norouz or Persian New Year, an ancient Zoroastrian celebration that is so popular than in the land of the mullahs everything stops for two weeks, newspapers included.

For Iranian families eating mandarins and oranges is part and parcel of the tradition and has no political significance, whatever the origin of the fruit may be. This is a season for gift-giving—new banknotes given for good luck; a time when people get their annual bonus; a time when imported sweets are a must even if they are expensive.

But as March turns into April, people will have to face the music. Whether the United Nations imposes sanctions or not, the government’s budget (scheduled to be voted on March 20) will be one of austerity. The price of state-subsidised gasoline is likely to rise from 800 rials to 1,500 (from 8 to 15 US cents) a litre. Salaries will also rise but not enough to compensate for inflation (officially at 12 per cent but actually around 30 per cent). Hence, many Iranians will find other reasons for not buying Israeli fruit.