Hurdles to Customs Clearance

Piles of cargos, particularly essential goods, that have not been cleared by the consignee are posing problems to most Iranian ports. 
Shahram Bakhshipour, the head of the Port Terminal Operators Association, has outlined hurdles complicating customs clearance in a write-up for the Persian economic daily Donya-e-Eqtesad. The translation of the full text follows:
To better understand the customs clearance process, we need to go over the import process first. After selecting the seller and negotiating the purchase of goods, the consignee (importer) should register the shipment order in the system [of the Ministry of Industries, Mines and Trade]. When banking procedures for the transfer of money and the method of payment is completed, the freight transportation company, regardless of the mode of transport, is determined and finally the goods are imported...