Drought stricken, Iran buys US wheat for first time in 27 years
Dated: Aug 25 2008 10:44 PM US/Eastern

Wracked by drought, Iran has turned to the United States for wheat for the first time in 27 years, marking a setback for Tehran's search for agricultural self-sufficiency.

According to a recent US Department of Agriculture report, Iran has bought about 1.18 million tonnes of US hard wheat since the beginning of the 2008-2009 crop season in June.

The number, which has been growing steadily all summer, already represents nearly 5.0 percent of US annual exports forecast by the USDA.

The last time Iran imported US wheat was in 1981-1982.
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This one has really hit the news Link

This was not an anticipated purchase - It's pretty clear that Iranian marketplace options for hard wheat (right now) were pretty limited. The interesting part is that the Iranian shortfall is estimated at around 4.5 mil metric tons, and this sale is for 1.18 mil metric tons. So it could grow even more. Depends on wheat harvests in places like Australia, which is still several months off.

I'd be interested in a geopolitical "read" on how this affects "other ongoing issues" between Iran and the US. Thoughts?