[Music] it's called red gold it's the most expensive spice in the world and one of the most ancient legend has it that cleopatra used it for bathing and its intoxicating spell still casts a charm on many accounts here and iran produces nearly 95 of world output that's made it a monopoly and even the u.s sanctions have largely failed to prevent its trade sanctions have slowed down the saffron business but because almost all the world's saffron is produced in iran overseas customers are forced to buy saffron from iran under sanction for example the united states doesn't
have commercial relation with iran but the saffron still makes its way there through spain [Music] saffron is used as a vital ingredient in eastern cuisine and traditional medicine agram currently goes for eight dollars and that makes iranian saffron exports currently worth more than three billion dollars and iranian farmers say they hope to increase output as international demand grows this is where the u.s sanctions have hurt most by preventing the producers from using international banking channels despite that the saffron industry remains one of the fastest growing sectors in iran's otherwise stagnant economy now this saffron is
something everybody is making their living on workers farmers merchants shopkeepers everybody is making their living on it iranian producers say the united arab emirates is currently the largest export market followed by spain but they also say that there is massive demand from europe china and across the middle east and are sure that the ileo of iran's red gold is just too strong even for the u.s sanctions shoebhasan trt world [Music] you
