The Islamic Republic, on the other side of the Gulf, is in a serious pickle. After its war with Israel, it is more isolated than ever. Its oil exports are still flowing, but it is struggling to collect the proceeds because America keeps cranking up sanctions on anyone helping it move money. Britain, France and Germany are threatening to restore their own embargoes unless it resumes nuclear negotiations in earnest. That is pushing Iran to find new ways to pay for the foreign goods it so desperately needs. Flooding the Gulf with fruit and veg is one of them. Iran now supplies nine out of ten cauliflowers, tomatoes and watermelons imported by the UAE, a near-monopoly built in just a few years.
Noooooo 
cauliflowers!!
Wait till they find out what the shelves of supermarkets in these countries are normally filled with:
cw: meat
That's Lulu Hypermarket, an Indian supermarket chain in WANA. Country origins are listed there for each produce but if it's too hard to read (it is hard on mobile for sure), then just know that the produce and processed goods are imported from State Department approved states (South Africa (from white-owned farms duh), Australia, France, Norway, etc...)
OH OH and get this: some of the supermarkets are foreign-owned by European countries and they, in good ol' foreign-investment fashion, tend to drive out local markets selling fresh produce in favor of selling exorbitant fruits and vegetables that sit there till god-knows-their-expiry-date:
Carrefour is open in WANA (Fr*nch chain)
Retailer SPAR to enter Middle East, eyes five markets (2013) (Dutch)
Monoprix is open in WANA (also Fr*nch).
Casino Group [owning Geant] expands presence in the Middle East and North Africa (2014) (also also Fr*nch)
Foreign (white) investment (driving out local chains) good, importing vegetables/fruits from a neighboring country bad.. I couldn't find any good articles on this sort of stuff since it's not often talked about, but seeing this post I'm kinda motivated to write one myself :)
i was in a lulu hypermart in kerala recently, got some iraqi dates, very cheap and delicious, would recommend
You should!
but.. but but I'd miss out on filling my daily quota of slop (it's unconscionable)!