Will iPhone 18s found in the Persian Gulf reach fishermen? What does the law say?

The publication of the news of the removal of a number of iPhone 18 from the waters of the Persian Gulf has raised questions about the ownership and legal fate of these goods. Article 157 of the Law on Customs Affairs specifies the mechanism of delivery, storage and assignment of iPhone 18 pulled out of the water.

Ambassador Arjan-Economic Group: Article 157 of the Customs Law defines the legal framework for delivery, storage and assigning duties of imported goods.

Following the publication of the news about the sinking of a ship in the Persian Gulf and the recovery of a number of iPhone 18 by fishermen, Article 157 of the Customs Law has defined the legal framework for the delivery, storage and determination of the duties of submerged goods.

According to Article 157 of the Law on Customs Affairs, persons who take out domestic or foreign goods from territorial and border waters are obliged to deliver them to the nearest customs office. The customs must immediately prepare a meeting report including the specifications and characteristics of the goods, and after registering in the warehouse office and issuing a warehouse receipt, announce the facts in a widely circulated newspaper.

According to this article, the people who consider themselves the owner of the discovered goods have one year from the date of publication of the advertisement to submit ownership documents to the customs office. In the case of foreign goods, the payment of import duties and the costs of removing the goods from the water and other related costs are also foreseen for its clearance.

Therefore, if it is confirmed that the discovered iPhone 18s are subject to Article 157 of the Customs Law, the mere removal of these goods from the water does not mean that they are owned by the finders, and their legal assignment must be determined in the manner prescribed in this article.

According to this article, if no one goes to the customs office to claim the goods by the end of the one-year period, the goods will be considered to be of unknown ownership, and after the sale by the legal guardian, the related costs will be paid from the place of sale.

Also, the second note of Article 157 stipulates that perishable goods and goods whose storage creates additional costs or risks shall be sold according to the relevant regulations and the resulting funds shall be kept as a deposit until the final assignment is determined.

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Reuters has reported that Iran continues to export cargoes of liquefied gas and jet fuel despite the US naval blockade and uses ship-to-ship transfers in the waters near Oman to hide the cargoes.

At the summit of the Conference of Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (SICA), the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran strongly criticized the actions of the Zionist regime and the policies of the United States.