India, Jan. 14 -- Civil unrest in Iran has started impacting India's basmati rice exports to the country, leading to a sharp fall in domestic prices, as exporters face payment delays and mounting uncertainties, an industry body said on Tuesday.

The Indian Rice Exporters Federation (IREF) urged exporters to reassess risks on Iranian contracts and adopt secured payment mechanisms, warning against over-leveraging inventories meant for the Iranian market. India exported $468.10 million worth of basmati rice to Iran during April-November of 2025-26 fiscal, totalling 5.99 lakh tonnes, trade data showed.

Iran is India's top basmati rice export destination, but the current financial year has seen growing stress on order flows, payment cycles, a...