Last Updated:
The decision was announced by Iranian deputy minister Mehdi Baradaran and is likely influenced by the pager blasts.
Iran has banned the sale, import and use of Motorola cell phones in a new order. (IMAGE: REUTERS/REPRESENTATIVE)
Iranian authorities have prohibited the import and use of Motorola mobile phones following a series of pager explosions in Lebanon. Iranian minister Mohammad Mehdi Baradaran made the announcement in Tehran where he said that the sale of Motorola devices within Iran’s borders has also been halted, according to Russian news outlet TASS.
Iran had earlier banned pagers and walkie-talkies on all flights, local media reported Saturday, weeks after deadly sabotage attacks in Lebanon which were blamed on Israel.
The decision comes almost one and a half months after explosions involving pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members and nearly 3,000 others, according to official figures.
“The sale of Motorola phones in online stores has also been halted, with these stores either removing Motorola phone listings or marking them as out of stock,” a separate report by Digiato said.
The wounded also included Tehran’s ambassador to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani. Earlier this month, Dubai-based airline Emirates banned pagers and walkie-talkies onboard its planes.
Analysts said operatives had likely planted explosives on the pagers before they were delivered to Hezbollah.
“A small plastic explosive was almost certainly concealed alongside the battery, for remote detonation via a call or page,” said Charles Lister of the Middle East Institute.
The preliminary findings of a Lebanese investigation into the blasts found the pagers had been booby-trapped, a security official said.
“Data indicates the devices were pre-programmed to detonate and contained explosive materials planted next to the battery,” the official said, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
A source close to Hezbollah, asking not to be identified, said the pagers were “recently imported” and appeared to have been “sabotaged at source”.
