Deputy Agriculture Minister Abbas Keshavarz has confirmed reports that shipments of exported watermelons have been sent back from Arab countries, but has refuted claims that the Iranian produce is unhealthy.

He said, �Some Arab countries are acting in an unfriendly way in dealing with Iran and that can leave an impact on bilateral trade. For instance, one of the watermelon shipments was sent back because it had been kept waiting at the border crossing for a few days and consequently the watermelons had turned sour.

That has got nothing to do with the quality of Iranian produce; the melons had gone sour after storage in poor conditions and exposure to sunlight.�
He added all products had been given a license before being exported.

This news was translated by IFP from Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA)