The United States, however, has banned all Iranian carpets imports since last October 1. When the United States had a similar ban in effect in the late 1990s, Iranian carpet sales to Canada soared and vast numbers of carpets were seized crossing the border by American customs officials. Mardasi did not say how so many carpets were going to the United States, but the Canadian border is the most likely route. There have, however, been no news reports of large carpet seizures in the 12 months since the import ban was imposed.
