Businessmen call for Iranian goods’ boycott

RIYADH: Several businesspeople across the country have called on consumers and traders to boycott all goods from Iran in the wake of the attacks on Saudi missions in Iran. Omar Bahlaiwa, secretary-general of the international trade committee of the Council of Saudi Chambers, urged businesspeople and consumers to rather purchase goods from other Arab and Muslim countries, according to a report in a local daily. Bahlaiwa said the Kingdom’s economy would not be affected by such a boycott. However, this could seriously hamper Iran and affect its trade with other nations because of Saudi leadership position in the Muslim world, he was quoted as saying. Khalid bin Ali Saif, chairman of the Hail Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also said that such a boycott could affect the volume of Iranian exports to other countries in the Gulf. “We must boycott all Iranian products coming into the Kingdom to express our solidarity with the government of Saudi Arabia,” he said, and added that the Kingdom has a rational and wise foreign policy as opposed to Iran’s hostile approach that aims to destabilize countries. Some experts have said that Iran’s exports to the Kingdom are of low quality and that its sanctions-battered economy has resulted in the creation of companies unable to compete with foreign countries because of a lack of technology. Exports were mainly confined to pistachio nuts, saffron and carpets, an expert said. -arabnews