Pistachios: nightmare in Iran

Communication impossible

Exporters in Iran are living in a nightmare. Not only do they have to fear for the lives of their friends and families amid the regime’s brutal crackdown on protesters and civilians, but the internet blackout is also rendering internal and external communication and trading impossible. Reports confirm that the death toll is in the thousands in the what is described as the worst violent attacks on civilian life since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

While exporters have been used to internet shutdowns and protests in recent years and know how navigate challenging situations, the present crisis is far worse. The current internet shutdown started on 8 January and is one of the most severe in global history. In the few messages that are available exporters report in an unusually frank manner that they cannot reach out to their team members, thereby showing how worried they are.

Internet shutdown to last

Reports vary as to how and when the internet and international phone lines will be restored. As The Guardian reports Iran’s national internet system, which is cut off from the world wide web, has been up and running throughout the protests and is the only way for Iranians to go online. Concerning international internet, a government spokesman has stated on Iranian media that the shutdown will remain in place until the Iranian New Year on 20 March.

According to Reuters, however, the blackout has eased a bit permitting some accounts of the prevailing violence to emerge and some messages to be sent over a heavily filtered internet. Security bodies may decide on restoring internet services in the next few days. Impression is that although the regime will hold a tighter control over external communication it will also have to balance the economic cost of restrictions.

Challenging prospects for pistachio exports

Communication is naturally also central for trade. Pistachios, for instance, witnessed a success 2025. In drawing on supplies from the 2024 crop the country exported around 205,000 mt of in-shell equivalent pistachios between January and December 2025, up 20% on the 170,000 mt shipped in 2024 and the highest volume since 2018. Key feature in 2025 is that kernel exports accounted for 29% of exports (60,000 mt) with the share already ranging at 25% in 2024 (42,000 mt). Last year, these kernels fetched a much higher market price of around USD 18.50/kg than the USD 6.60/kg paid for in-shell pistachios.

Prospects for 2026 are, however, more challenging. Even before the protests erupted at the end of December the importance of a more effective supply chain management and stable production volumes was highlighted. While kernel output has certainly risen, supply chain management is in jeopardy. At 225,000 mt Iran’s current dried in-shell pistachio crop may be around 6% smaller than the 2024 crop. Yet, the kernel share has climbed to 33% of total production, which is the highest in the past ten years at least.

Much will also depend on the 2026 crop, which will be exported as of September. Prices, in addition, range higher than in the 2024/2025 season. With communication heavily restricted and very much limited trading will also remain more difficult. Another aspect to consider is that despite agricultural products being exempt from sanctions, relations are already strained with the EU, which acted as a key buyer of Iranian pistachio kernels in 2025.

Difficult trading partner

As weekly European Commission import statistics show the EU imported 6,374 mt of pistachios worth EUR 119 million (USD 139 million) from Iran in 2025. While this is 17% down in volume on the 7,691 mt imported in 2024, the import value has nearly risen by 10% as compared with the EUR 108 million (USD 126 million) spent in 2024. The European Commission also highlights that the total trade in goods between the EU and Iran reached EUR 4.5 billion (USD 5.3 billion)  in 2024 with EU imports accounting for EUR 800 million (USD 935 million) and EU exports for EUR 3.7 billion (USD 4.3 billion).

Although the EU lifted nearly all economic and financial sanctions in January 2016, relations turned again in October 2022 after the bloc adopted several rounds of restrictive measures against perpetrators of serious human rights violation in Iran and condemned the involvement of Iranian drones in Russia’s attacks on Ukraine.

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